How can severe road rash affect you?
California motorcyclists like you may have been pitched off of the motorcycle before. Unfortunately, even if you don’t sprain or break any bones in the fall, you can end up experiencing a painful type of injury known as a road burn or road rash. But is this severe? How can it affect you in the long run?
Typically, people think of “road rash” and it conjures up the mental image of injuries that are basically just big scrapes. Despite the level of severity (or lack thereof) that the word “rash” implies, however, you could actually end up facing severe health effects. On one hand, less severe cases of road rash can take up to 2 weeks to heal from as long as you are provided with the proper treatment and keep the area clean.
However, there are cases in which road rash is so severe that skin grafts are required in order for the healing process to even begin. The road essentially acts like a cheese grater that peels layers of skin away from your body. It can penetrate all the way down through the layers of skin itself. Some people even get bad enough abrasions that the layers underneath the skin are exposed.
Extreme cases of road rash can therefore lead to issues like deep tissue infections, altered capabilities of movement, and a period of healing that could potentially last for quite a while. Are you interested in reading more about motorcycle crashes? Consider taking a look at our web page on the same subject, linked here, to learn more.