As the saying goes......
“There are two kinds of cyclists……Those that have fallen and those that are going to fall”
We asked Caro, who has worked as medical back up on several Epics and other major events including the Tour de Afrique, how we make those nasty roasties disappear with, hopefully, the speed that they arrived when we ploughed our furrow on the road or the trail.
‘Roasties’ are very much part of every cyclists life, whether we like it or not, and no matter how often we get them, they remain painful and stay with us for some time. Here follow a few tips to help minimize the pain and risk of secondary infection often associated with them.
If at all possible, at the time of the fall, try to give the wound a rinse with your water bottle, as the water in it is usually a bit cleaner than the road you have fallen on. (Energade is contra-indicated!) If you do carry gauze and some plaster with you, it’s not a bad idea to wet the gauze slightly, put it on the wound, tape it up and keep going. This will just reduce the risk of more dirt entering the wound during the course of your ride.
When you get home and before you get in the bath or shower, put liberal amounts of Lignocaine(or Remicaine) gel onto the wound. This is available at most pharmacies, and should be a vital part of any cyclist’s first aid kit. I like the gel more than the cream – the cream tends to be difficult to get off. Leave the gel on for about 20 minutes, and then get into your shower with a good clean scrubbing brush and start scrubbing. Yes, really. What makes the roasties so painful afterwards is that they mostly become a bit infected, causing the pain. So the most crucial part of healing is to make sure it is very clean. The Lignocaine gel numbs the area, so this really is not so painful. Make sure every little piece of dirt is out of that wound before covering it. You can now dress the wound with any of the following: Paraffin gauze, Betadine or an anti-biotic cream. I suggest using a non- stick Telfa dressing, as this does not pull all the scabs off when you remove the dressing to change it. I like to keep the wound covered for a few days, especially if you are cycling again the next day. I usually keep it closed for 2 days, then clean the wound (Dettol or Savlon or plain Saline will do nicely), and close it up again as before for another 2 days. Try not to get the dressing wet – change it if you do. If you leave it open too early, the scab cracks and causes bleeding, especially if it is on a knee or elbow. After another 2 days you should be able to remove the dressing, and if the scab looks like cracking, just rub a little bit of Vaseline onto it to make it a bit more flexible. Ultra violet light is great for healing, so expose it to the sun a bit, but don’t get it burnt! Best of all though, is stay on your bike!
