Road rash is a condition many motorcycle riders are familiar with. After falling off a bike, a motorcyclist can scrape his or her skin across a road pavement. Some road rashes are minor, but it is possible to suffer a serious one, particularly after an auto collision.
WebMD describes some troubling aspects of a road rash that becomes severe enough to diminish or threaten your health.
Skin disfigurement
Scraping your skin can create wounds that do not heal easily. Some motorcycle riders pick up foreign debris in a road rash wound, such as glass and rocks. In such cases, doctors may need to operate on the wound to clean out the debris to help it heal properly. If a hypertrophic scar or a loss of skin results from the injury, a skin graft may be necessary.
Pain
Just about any road rash is bound to hurt. The question is how severe the pain will be and how long it will last. Some motorcyclists take over-the-counter medicine if the road rash is minor. For road rashes that penetrate deeper through the skin, a doctor may prescribe pain medication.
Infection
Since a road rash is a skin wound, there is a higher risk of acquiring an infection. Signs of an infected road rash could manifest. Pain does not subside and gets worse. The wound discharges pus and does not heal, and a fever could also develop. All of these symptoms should prompt the injured rider to visit a doctor for possible antibiotic treatment.
Protective gear may be enough to prevent a serious road rash or diminish its effects. Still, some motorcycle riders end up with a severe injury no matter what they do. Timely medical attention will be crucial.