Stepping on a nail is a common injury that causes a puncture wound, oftentimes in the shape of a round hole. Puncture wounds can wait small, merely as they can penetrate deep into the peel, they can exist difficult to clean and pose a risk for infection.

Initially, a puncture wound may not look serious, equally they often bleed more than internally than externally. However, equally nails on the ground are often muddied, they tin button soil, rust, woods, or clothing fibers into the pes.

In this article, we hash out how to carry out first aid for this injury, when to seek medical help, if a rusty boom causes tetanus, and how to recover at home.

A woman gets her foot bandaged by a doctor after having stepped on a nail. Share on Pinterest
People should visit a doctor inside 24 hours of stepping on a nail in order to minimize the adventure of tetanus or other infection.

If someone steps on a nail, they should accept the post-obit steps to clean and dress the wound:

  1. Thoroughly launder the hands with lather.
  2. Apply gentle force per unit area with a make clean cloth to slow the bleeding.
  3. Flush the wound with clean water and soap as presently as possible for 5–10 minutes.
  4. If there is debris in the wound, disinfect some tweezers with rubbing alcohol and use them to remove equally much every bit possible.
  5. Apply antiseptic, antibiotic ointment, or both to the wound area if available.
  6. Wearing apparel the wound with a clean bandage.

In one case a person has dressed the wound, they should seek medical care and not put weight on the pes.

The American Higher of Foot and Ankle Surgeons suggest that people seek medical assistance within 24 hours afterward they step on a nail.

Stepping on a nail can button debris and bacteria into the foot. Even if a person cleans the wound thoroughly at habitation, or the wound looks small, in that location is still a risk of infection.

Clinicians estimate that x% of people who stride on a smash will develop an infection. Signs of an infection include:

  • soreness
  • inflammation
  • swelling
  • pus buildup or drainage
  • warmth
  • fever
  • redness

A person should not wait until these symptoms develop to seek medical assist. The best fashion to forestall an infection is early treatment. This may mean a visit to the hospital.

Rusty nails do not cause tetanus themselves, only they frequently occupy dirty or dusty areas that harbor Clostridium tetani, the bacteria that crusade tetanus. Stepping on a boom tin spread this bacteria to humans.

Wounds are the most common style people get tetanus. Nevertheless, widespread vaccination has reduced tetanus infection in the Usa by 99% since 1947, co-ordinate to the U. S. Section of Health & Human being Services.

The tetanus vaccine protects people against tetanus and diphtheria. Some versions of the vaccine likewise protect against pertussis, or whooping cough. Immunity from the vaccine lasts around 10 years.

All of these atmospheric condition are potentially serious. Tetanus tin can be fatal in two people out of every 10 who get it.

If a person who steps on a blast has not had a tetanus vaccination in the concluding five years, they should run into a doctor right abroad so they can get a superlative-up.

Symptoms of a tetanus infection include:

  • lockjaw, an disability to motion the jaw
  • a rigid facial expression
  • drooling and difficulty swallowing
  • musculus spasms and pain
  • loss of bowel control
  • difficulty breathing

Someone may not develop tetanus symptoms for upwards to lx days later on an injury. If someone has these symptoms after they footstep on a nail, they should punch the emergency number 911.

Learn more well-nigh tetanus.

Most puncture wounds are pocket-size and heal with no further bug. However, if a wound is deep, has ragged edges, or contains a foreign object, information technology is more likely to develop complications. These can include:

  • an abscess
  • cellulitis, which is an infection of the deep layers of the skin
  • septic arthritis, or infection of the joints
  • osteomyelitis, which is a serious bone infection

Osteomyelitis develops slowly, and may take days or months to appear. Effectually 1–2% of people with a foot puncture wound go on to develop this status.

Many other types of infection can besides occur if a person steps on a nail, including Pseudomonas, which ofttimes lives on prophylactic-soled shoes. Early on treatment from a doctor or foot specialist is the best style to avoid these complications.

After someone receives medical handling for stepping on a blast, they can recover at domicile. Recovery time volition depend on several factors, such as how deep the wound is. A person can aid their recovery by:

  • keeping weight off the foot for at to the lowest degree 24 hours
  • elevating the foot
  • keeping a make clean dressing on the wound, and changing bandages according to a doctor's instructions
  • taking over-the-counter hurting medication such equally acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen
  • gradually reintroducing weight-bearing activities, such as walking, when the hurting improves

If a doctor prescribes antibiotics, it is important to terminate the course, even if the wound feels or looks better. Seek medical help if the wound does not ameliorate, pain does not completely subside, or symptoms get worse.

Stepping on a nail causes a puncture wound, which oftentimes looks like a modest hole in the human foot. Information technology may not bleed as much as a cutting, but due to the hazard of infection, this type of wound often requires medical attention.

A person can reduce the risk of complications with first assist. They should seek prompt medical care, and keep the wound clean. A person may also need a tetanus vaccine if they have non had one in the last 5 years.

If a person's wound does not heal, continues to hurt, or shows signs of infection, they should seek further medical attending.