Treating Injuries in the Wild

When you’re a survivalist, injuries are imminent. It’s not a matter of “if” you’ll get hurt, it’s a matter of when. But, that’s the whole point of “surviving,” right? When you know how to properly treat an injury, you can keep moving forward and living off the land.

Being prepared is important (we’ll cover that in a moment). But, no matter how much you might plan ahead, injuries can still occur.

The last thing you want is to be left alone in the wild without the proper knowledge, skills, or resources to fix yourself up and keep moving. With that in mind, let’s cover a few of the most common injuries survivalists can face, and how you can effectively treat them.

Always Be Prepared

This is more than a Boy Scout motto.

If you truly want to call yourself a survivalist, you have to know the importance of preparedness and precaution. Stepping into the wild for any length of time without extreme knowledge and skill is dangerous unless you’re with a guide.

Before we get into some common outdoor injuries, let’s cover a checklist of things you should always go through before setting out on an adventure. Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I have the right gear?
Do I have a first aid kit?
Does someone know where I’ll be?
Do I have a way to communicate with others?
Do I have the experience and knowledge to handle the terrain?

If those questions seem a bit silly, that’s exactly why you need to go over them again. The longer you’ve been a survivalist, the more confident you likely feel. While that’s a good thing, it can also make it easier to overlook the simple things that could save your life. For example, carrying enough water with you and staying hydrated. Dehydration symptoms include:

Fatigue
Lightheadedness
Dry mouth
Dizziness

Experiencing any of those things in the wild can be extremely dangerous. You might get disoriented, trip and fall, or even pass out. It’s usually the smallest things you’ll forget to prepare ahead of time that can make the biggest difference. So, take a step back, make a checklist, and ensure you have everything you need to keep yourself safe and healthy before adventuring.

Strains, Sprains, and Broken Bones

That title might sound like the name of a popular country song, but they’re some of the most common injuries survivalists face when out in the wild.

Strains and sprains make up 45% of survivalist injuries, while broken bones account for 7%. These injuries are likely so common because of the uncertain and often unstable terrain you’ll have to face. Whether you’re stepping on a slippery rock or trip over a tree branch, even experienced survivalists aren’t able to avoid every slip and fall risk.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are specific steps you should take when treating a sprain, including:

Rest
Icing the area
Compressing the injury to help with swelling
Elevating the sprained area

Over-the-counter medications can help you to manage the pain that comes with straining or spraining a muscle, but combining medication with rest is the best way to go. Set up camp for the night and re-evaluate how you feel in the morning.

What’s most important is a proper diagnosis. You might think you have a sprain or a twisted ankle, for example, but it’s necessary to make sure it isn’t broken or fractured. This isn’t a time to get cocky and assume you would know if you had a broken bone. Some people have a higher tolerance for pain than others or might not know how to spot the differences between the two issues. Some indicators that you have a broken or fractured ankle include:

The inability to put weight on it
Moderate-to-severe pain
Immediate swelling and/or bruising
The ankle looks deformed or out of place

The best way to determine if you have a broken bone is to get an X-ray. If you have an injury that is hindering your performance, you could be putting your safety at risk. It’s never a bad thing to cut your trip short if necessary, so you can get the medical attention you need.

Cuts and Lacerations

Many elements in the wild can cause flesh wounds. From tree branches slicing into your skin to slipping and falling on sharp rocks, cuts and lacerations are fairly common when you’re adventuring outdoors.

There are two extremely important things to keep in mind when you experience any type of flesh wound:

Stop the bleeding right away.
Prevent infection.

No matter what causes a wound, implementing immediate first aid will make a big difference in how quickly you can stop the bleeding and how clean you can keep the injury. Use these steps to properly care for a laceration immediately after it happens:

Use pressure to stop the bleeding
Clean the wound with water or an antiseptic solution
Use an antibiotic ointment
Cover the wound with a bandage
Change the dressings frequently

In some cases, a deep cut might need stitches or further medical attention. If the bleeding isn’t stopping or you aren’t able to clean the injury properly, seeking out a nearby urgent care center is crucial. They will be able to treat the severe injury properly and provide stitches if necessary.

If you choose to forego professional medical attention, make sure you understand some of the common signs of infection, including warm skin around the cut, yellow or green discharge, and more pain or swelling. You might also start to feel nauseous, fatigued, and develop a fever. An infected wound is nothing to take lightly. If you start to notice any of those red flags, seek help immediately.

Head Injuries

Scraping a knee or cutting your hand can be serious when the laceration is deep enough. More often than not, though, lacerations can be handled with the right first aid knowledge and supplies.

Hitting your head is a different story.

Things like rock climbing, mountain biking, or even hiking on rough terrain can all cause you to slip and hit your head. Debris falling from a mountainside or tree can also cause a head injury, and there’s nothing you can do to prepare for those kinds of accidents.

Head injuries can be incredibly frightening, especially because they’re often difficult to detect. Your head might not always bleed or redden. But, if it’s injured and you don’t treat it properly, you could put yourself at risk for things like seizures, fluid buildup in the brain, or blood vessel damage.

So, what can you do to “check-in” with yourself and determine how serious your injury might be? Consider using the AVPU scale. “A” is the best, “U” is the worst:

“A” is for “alert”. If you know who you are, where you are, and what happened, you’re in good shape.
“V” is for “verbal”. Are you able to speak clearly? If you have someone with you, can you respond to their voice? You might be disoriented, but being able to notice and respond to verbal stimuli is a good sign.
“P” is for “painful”. If you’re not responsive to verbal stimuli but wince when “poked” or prodded, it’s important to get medical attention right away.
“U” is for “unresponsive”. If you don’t have any of the normal responses and aren’t able to respond to any type of stimuli, it’s an emergency.

Obviously, having someone with you on your adventure is ideal so they can check in with you properly if you experience a head injury. But, if you’re alone, make sure you’re doing your best to protect your head, and consider wearing some type of medical alert device that will activate if you fall or push a button.

Animal Bites

It can be both thrilling and frightening to see a wild animal in its natural habitat. While educating yourself on how to handle animal encounters is important, it doesn’t make you immune from getting bitten.

We’re not talking about going head-to-head with a bear. But, things like raccoon bites, reptile bites, or even herbivore bites (the deer can get a bit feisty) are more common than you might think.

When it comes to animal bites, you’re not usually at a major risk of bleeding out. Most bites don’t tear through the skin enough to cause a lot of bleeding. The dangerous part comes after the bite, and through the healing process. You could immediately be at risk for things like tetanus or rabies. If you were bitten by a snake, it’s important to know whether it was venomous or not.

As a survivalist, having a baseline knowledge of different species and being able to recognize poisonous creatures is crucial. But, if something bites you quickly or you aren’t able to get a good look at it, you might not be able to put that knowledge to use.

Avoiding animal bites is always the best way to go. Don’t mess with nests, don’t get too close to creatures, and stay away from any animal that looks threatened or defensive. Wear long sleeves and pants whenever possible, and keep a fire going at night to keep creatures away.

If you do happen to experience an animal bite, make sure you have the right supplies in your first aid kit. It could mean the difference between staying healthy and alert or dealing with some serious medical repercussions.

What to Keep in Your Kit

Have you noticed a common theme among all of these injuries and preventative measures?

If you guessed “an amazing first aid kit,” you’re today’s lucky winner.

A first aid kit could also save your life in the wild, so, that’s a pretty big prize, too.

In a pinch, heading to your local mega-mart to pick up a pre-made first aid kit is better than nothing. It will contain things like gauze, bandages, and maybe a few antiseptic wipes. But, if you really want to keep yourself as safe and prepared as possible, you’ll put together your own kit. According to The Red Cross, a proper first aid kit should contain the following:

Absorbent compress dressings
Adhesive bandages
Cloth tape
Antibiotic ointment
Antiseptics of various types
Aspirin
Emergency blankets
Breathing barrier
Cold compresses
Gloves
Hydrocortisone ointment
Gauze rolls
Gauze pads of various size
First-aid glue
Triangular bandages

You may want to consider taking things one step further if you plan on spending a lot of time in the wild. Saline flush kits can help with deep wounds. Suture kits can make emergency stitching a possibility. Burn salve can soothe your skin if you injure yourself with fire. The more experienced you are with the great outdoors, the easier it will be to know exactly what you should put in your kit.

Additionally, it’s important to make sure you’re checking and updating your first aid kit frequently. While there usually aren’t expiration dates on things like gauze and bandages, they can become less effective over time, especially if they are stored in damp or extremely hot/cold environments. Make sure everything in your kit is in good shape and ready to use at a moment’s notice.

Most importantly, make sure you know how to use everything. Don’t attempt to suture something without the skills to do so. Understand the differences between medications and how they work. Don’t use gauze where a bandage is needed. Before you put something in your kit, make sure you have extensive knowledge of how it works and how it should be applied.

Being a survivalist isn’t easy – you already know that. But, it’s not just about being fearless or even having a passion for the great outdoors. True survivalists rely on experience, education, and skill to keep moving forward. That includes knowing how to take care of yourself in the wild, especially if you experience an injury or illness. You might also end up being the one people turn to to help treat their wounds if you’re traveling in a group or with a partner. By taking the time to learn how to help yourself and others no matter what the wild might throw at you, you’ll live to see another adventure.

[Note: This was a guest post.]