You have been treated for a wound to your Shin. You have been thoroughly examined and are now considered fit to be discharged. The following will aid your recovery.
Pretibial laceration
You have sustained a wound over the front of your shin. The skin in this area is very thin and the blood supply to the wound may not be very good, which means it may take several weeks to heal.
Treatment
The skin edges will have been brought together and held in place with steristrips or mepitel strips.
A crepe bandage may have been applied from toes to knees to help prevent leg swelling.
First 2 days
- Walk as little as possible and avoid prolonged standing such as cooking, washing dishes or ironing
- Stay and rest in the house if you can
- Keep your injured leg elevated, eg, on a stool or sofa, supported by pillows so that your ankle is higher than your hips
- While you are resting: move your toes, ankle and knee hourly for at least a minute, to reduce the risk of blood clotting in your leg and to encourage circulation
Until your wound has healed
- Keep your leg elevated at night by raising the bottom end of your mattress. Put something under the mattress to raise it. This reduces swelling and likelihood of infection
- Keep your leg wound dry
Painkiller
Paracetamol is an effective painkiller and can be brought over the counter at chemist and most supermarkets. Ensure you take the correct dosage.
A good diet will help the wound to heal
- Eat fruit and vegetables and drink plenty of fluids. Consider multivitamins daily until the wound has healed if you are not able to eat a well-balanced diet
- If you are diabetic, you may need to monitor your blood sugars more closely whilst you are resting
- Smoking can delay the healing process. Try to stop smoking to allow healing process to complete
Follow up
- You will need to see your Practice Nurse for change of dressings
When to seek help see your General Practitioner or Minor Injury Unit
- Increasing pain that doesn’t settle with elevation, especially if it wakes you at night
- Redness spreading up your leg
- Fever or flu-like symptoms
- Pus or smelly fluid coming from the wound
Itching can happen as the wound heals and is not necessarily a sign of infection.
Tetanus
We will only give you a tetanus injection if you have not already had a course of 5 injections in your lifetime, or if you have the type of wound likely to be infected by tetanus.
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