Our skin and muscles protect us from the outside world, but when we’re injured that barrier is compromised. Knowing how to monitor injuries and wounds can help prevent problems getting worse. 

Drugs can sometimes dull pain or delay healing, making it harder to notice when something’s wrong and increasing the chances of further complications. We can also get injured from things like needles. Doing things like monitoring the places on our bodies where we inject is an important way to spot issues before they become bigger problems. 

Keep an eye on old injuries too, especially if you’ve experienced head injuries. Keeping on top of these can help health problems growing. 

Some useful checks are: 

  • Looking at wounds for redness, swelling, pain, discharge, smell, or warmth. Any increases of these can be a sign of infection. 
  • Check if a wound is healing. Most should improve within a week. 
  • For sprains and strains, keep track of pain levels, range of motion, and whether you can bear weight. Use the RICE method for these injuries (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and get help if symptoms don’t improve. 
  • Always get medical attention immediately for head injuries. Do not try to manage those on your own. 
  • Bleeding that doesn’t stop with pressure. 
  • Pain or tenderness that won’t go away. 
  • Redness, swelling, or warmth that spreads. You can identify if it is spreading by drawing a line around the outside of the redness and checking over time. Get medical care straight away if you notice red streaks that move outwards. 
  • Pus or coloured discharge. 
  • Foul smells from the wound. 
  • Fever or chills. 
  • Visible deformity or weakness. 
  • Reduced range of motion or instability that doesn’t go away. 
  • Numbness or tingling around the injury site. 

It can help to take note of these if these symptoms stick around or get worse, as that’s a sign to investigate further. 

Health professionals assess both surface and deeper injuries. If you feel comfortable, sharing what drugs you have used with them can help them provide better care. For example, knowing if you have injecting in the area where the problem is can help the health professional properly assess what the problem is and provide the right treatment This is also important if you are being prescribed medications for pain, as those are likely to have dangerous interactions with other drugs. 

Needle injuries are covered under ACC. Getting treatment earlier can help prevent problems from worsening.

They may: 

  • Visually inspect the wound and surrounding area. 
  • Take swabs to check for infection. 
  • Ask you to get blood tests to check for infection and inflammation. 
  • Ask you to get scans, like x-rays, to detect underlying injuries. 
  • Assess your mobility and ask you to rate your pain.