It is any injury in the back that affects the skin producing a loss of its integrity.
It is usually due to falls, blows, burns, weapons and other types of accidents.
It can manifest with bleeding, pain and redness. If infection is also present, it may be accompanied by discolouration, swelling, heat, pain, sloughing, stinging, etc. Depending on its severity, medical assistance may be necessary.
The diagnosis is obtained by questioning and a physical examination of the injured area.
Depending on the depth of the wound, they are classified as:
Superficial or simple: damage only outer layers of the skin (epidermis and dermis), without affecting other structures such as blood vessels, nerves or tendons.
Deep: they extend beyond the deepest layer of the skin (subcutaneous cellular tissue) affecting various tissues, skin, muscle or bones. The reconstruction and regeneration will be more difficult.
Perforating: they penetrate organic cavities, even injuring organs.
By impalement: caused by an incisive-piercing object, which is trapped in the body causing different types of injuries and organ involvement.
In many cases they can be managed at home or as an outpatient. If the injury is deep or bleeds very significantly you should receive assistance from a specialist in a hospital.
- Pancorbo-Hidalgo P. Investigación sobre las heridas. Gerokomos [Internet]. 2016 ; 27( 3 ): 89-90. Disponible en: http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1134-928X2016000300001
- MedlinePlus: Información de Salud para usted [Internet]. Estados Unidos: National Library of Medicine. Disponible en: https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/woundsandinjuries.html
- Amstrong D, Meyr A. Clinical assessment of wounds. UptoDate [Internet]. 2018. Disponible en:https://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-assessment-of-wounds?search=wound%20diagnosis&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=1
