Guide · Recovery
How to treat road rash
Quick answer
Rinse road rash under clean running water, gently remove grit, keep the wound moist with a thin layer of petroleum jelly and cover it with a non-stick or foam dressing changed daily or when wet. Get medical care if you can't remove the debris, the wound is deep or large, or it shows signs of infection, and check whether you need a tetanus booster.
- Rinse with running water; avoid hydrogen peroxide and iodine on the wound.
- Keep it moist and covered; change the dressing daily or when wet.
- Dirty wounds need a tetanus booster if your last dose was 5 or more years ago.
- Deep road rash is serious: in one burn-unit study, 71% of cyclists admitted needed surgical cleaning or grafting.
Step by step
- Stop the bleeding with gentle pressure.
- Rinse under clean running water. Mayo Clinic advises keeping soap out of the wound itself and avoiding hydrogen peroxide and iodine, which can irritate tissue.[1]
- Remove grit with tweezers cleaned in alcohol. If you can't get it all out, get medical care.[1]
- Keep it moist with a thin layer of petroleum jelly, which the AAD says helps the wound heal.[2]
- Cover it with a non-stick dressing, changed daily or when wet or dirty,[2] or an absorbent silicone foam dressing, which can stay on until fluid nears the edge of the pad, typically up to a few days.
Tetanus
The CDC's wound guidance: for clean, minor wounds, a tetanus booster is due if your last dose was 10 or more years ago; for dirty or major wounds, if it was 5 or more years ago; and if you're unsure of your history, for any wound.[3] Road rash from a road or trail usually counts as dirty.
When to get medical care
- Grit or debris you can't remove.
- Deep or large areas, or wounds on the face, hands, joints or genitals.
- Bleeding that won't stop.
- Signs of infection: spreading redness, warmth, swelling, pus, red streaks or fever.[1]
Road rash is often underestimated. In a study of 143 cyclists admitted to a burn unit for friction burns, 89% had burns covering less than 5% of the body, yet 71% needed surgical cleaning or skin grafts.[4]
After it heals
Once the skin has fully closed, protect the new skin from sun and consider silicone scar sheets if the scar becomes raised. See how to use silicone sheets.
FAQ
Should road rash be covered or left open to air?
Covered. Keeping the wound moist and covered with a clean dressing is the standard first-aid advice.
Do I need a tetanus shot for road rash?
If the wound is dirty and your last tetanus dose was 5 or more years ago, or you don't know, ask a clinician about a booster.
Sources
- Cuts and scrapes: First aid. Mayo Clinic.
- How to treat minor cuts. American Academy of Dermatology.
- Clinical guidance for wound management to prevent tetanus. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Friction burns in cyclists: an under-recognised problem. Tracy et al., Injury, 2023.
