While hang gliding yesterday (my other sport), the wind switched on a landing approach and I bellied in, skinning the hades out of my knee in the process. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Now I have a serious case of road rash. What could be worse for a C-boater?
I'm worried about paddling Saturday. Pis*es me off! Anyone had any experience with this? Any suggestions for a bandage (or combination of bandages, gauze, tape---anything!) that will let me get through the day in my boat without shredding my knee further?
Neosporin (assuming it's not TOO bloody) then gauze and a wrap of some sort. The neosporin (or other anti-biotic cream) will not only fight off the stuff that lives in your boat knee-pads, but also keep yoru skin supple and flexible so it's less painful.
Liquid bandage, gauze pad and then cover the whole pad in Duck Tape to keep it on while paddling. Just make sure to remove it all and let the air in after your done paddling. I've seen this work on both elbows and knees. The liquid bandage helps keep any of the water bacteria out for the day and the gauze pad just gives you a little extra padding when you kneel on it.
By "liquid bandage" do you mean something like the Curad "spray-on" bandage? If so, YIKES! I tried some of that last night...sprayed it on, and WHOOAA did it HURT! I was literally doubled over in agony for a good minute---felt like my knee was in FLAMES!
I don't want to miss paddling, so I'll try something---at a minimum, the bandage and duct tape sounds like an option!
There are water proof bandages that are large and will work in most cases (might have to double up on them) - as will those options noted above.
I'd use the large water proof bandaid over the liquid bandaid. Bring back up bandages and some betatine solution w/ gaze pads for clean up during and after paddling as well.
Or follow the directions in the posts above then borrow my shredder and take a friend with you (get Holly approval). Easier on the knee, bonus points with the friend and paddling a shredder still requires use of a T-grip (yes you can surf, catch eddies and scare the crap out of kaykers with them) - so it sort of counts!
The nice thing is that it's already in the vehcile for paddling the Lower Yough on Sunday with the boy! So it that option works it will be avialable! Just let me know when you get there.
Oh and I'm glad to hear that you only skinned the knee and were able to walk away from the landing!
Paul C.
Cboats Moderator
Official TOG Member (Team Old Guy)!
Okay if you don't like the liquid bandage try covering the wound with a thick layer of vasilene to keep the germs out before putting the gauze on. If the wound is still unscabbed you don't want the gauze to stick to it cause it really hurts when you pull it off.
Thanks for the good advice all. I realized what I have to do before anything else is keep my leg fully bent/folded for hours (not easy!) until a scab forms in the bent position. Otherwise, everytime I bend my leg the whole thing rips open---ouch!
If it's just the knee, add or subtract padding in the boat so that the injury is suspended. If it's the knee & shin you'll just have to be tough. Or you & Holly take PAC up on his offer & paddle the Shredder.
Tegaderm is amazing stuff for healing road rash--I used it a lot back in my bicycle road racing days. Much less pain, keeps the wound completely protected from both dirt and water, and heals in half the time.
Or I should say, it closes in half the time. I think total heal time is still about the same, you just don't have a crinkly scab on top for the last week or two. The trade off is that the fresh skin is very fragile for the two weeks or so after it first knits and stops bleeding/hurting. So it's very easy to rip the skin again by bumping into things. One teammate had some road rash that took forever to heal because of this - he kept bumping into tables and such, and the fragile scar tissue would tear open.
wow, you hang glide? that sounds like fun. one of my other boater friends does that in NH. I figure that you are only young and stupid once (and I'm hoping that I will not wake up from this daze in which I found myself ever since I hit my head while reaching for my calculator during an advanced math class at MIT a few years and many waterfalls ago . . . ) No, but seriously, that sounds awesome. I want to try that some day (the hangliding, not calculator thing).
Although, owing to my sympathies, I will of course, have to use only one wing while flying . . .
Alden
I tried some of that last night...sprayed it on, and WHOOAA did it HURT! I was literally doubled over in agony for a good minute---felt like my knee was in FLAMES! 
