It’s no secret that when you longboard you have to pay to play. The road will eventually take two things from all riders, urethane and skin. It’s the consequence of doing what we love. All we can do is be prepared to the inevitable road rash that all longboarders get. The first thing you’re going to want to do is have a small first aid kit in your day bag, along with a larger first aid kit you keep in the car you guys roll to a skate spot with.

First Aid kit should include

Anti Bacterial Tripple Antibiotic Ointment (Neosporene)

Sterile Gauze Wrap

Bandages

Tweezers

Alcohol Swabs

Rubbing Alcohol Bottle

My friend Shant is one of the steeziest longboarders I know, he received this gash from our ride down Barrett Junction. I’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to properly clean out the wounds you suffer while longboarding. Please note, this blog post is for applying first aid to small cuts and mild road rash. If you get a deep gash, or serious road rash, that won’t stop bleeding please go to a hospital or urgent care center immediately. Also if you notice your wound get infected please see professional help immediately before the problem gets a lot worse.

First Aid How to Clean And Cover Road Rash

Step One:

Grab some water, hydrogen peroxide, or rubbing alcohol and wash out the wound of dirt, rocks, hairs, and nasty shit out of your wound. Ideally clean the wound out with water first, then run rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide over it. This is a good time to clean your hands with rubbing alcohol as well to avoid accidentally infecting the wound when dressing it with bandages.

Step Two:

Grab your first aid kit, take out the antibacterial cream, take some and put it onto the bandage then place the bandage over the wound. Be careful not to apply the anti-bacterial directly from the tube to the wound. This is a surefire way to get an infection.

Step Three:

Take your sterile gauze roll out of your first aid kit. Be sure not to touch the side that will go onto the wound because this is a surefire way to get an infection. During a first aid class the instructor explained the importance of not skimping on the gauze. Be sure to use the entire roll. Reason being, the little you save won’t be nearly enough to cover your next wound. You’re better off using the entire roll to adequately cover your wound today to make sure you don’t get infected.

Start rolling the gauze around the wounded appendage in a clockwise manner. Wrap the wound once, the second time around go a little higher, the third time around go a little lower. This will make dirt getting into the wound a little harder. Once 75%-80% of the roll is used, twist the roll, keep unraveling it over the wound, then once you reach the end of the roll tuck it into the top of the roll to keep it in place. Ideally you should use the white medical tape to keep the guaze in place, but this will work as well.