Common puncture wounds are caused by animal bite or penetration of sharp, pointy objects on the skin, such as nails or glasses. Most of these wounds are minor and therefore, can be treated at home. You need to make sure you are not exposed to the risks of infection before treating the wound at home, as an infection from puncture wounds on foot may be fatal and in severe cases, life-threatening. Some conditions may cause you to put more considerations in treating a puncture wound on foot.

Self-treatment for puncture wound on foot

Treat your foot puncture wound at home if:

• The wound is not caused by rustic objects or other objects buried in the soil.
• The wound is not a result of animal bites.
• The bleeding is minimal and there is no left object inside the wound.
• You have had a tetanus shot within the last five years.
• There are no foreign objects left deep inside the wound that you cannot extract.

Treatment for puncture wound on foot

Treatment for minor puncture wound foot include some procedures, such as:

• Removing the object
  • Most puncture wounds on foot occur as a result of sharp pointy object penetrating the skin of the foot. In some cases, this object does not only tear the outer skin, but goes deeper beneath the skin, causing damages to the skin tissues and more severely, the blood vessels. If not removed, this causal object may transfer bacteria from the outside into the internal area of the skin, leading to possible infection.
  • Remove the object causing wound if it small and can be clearly seen. If you use tweezers, disinfect it with rubbing alcohol before removing the object. Be careful not to push the object deeper into the wound.
• Stop the bleeding
  • Puncture wounds rarely bleed severely. Most of the time, it causes minor bleeding that subsides within minutes.
  • If the wound does not bleed, you need to put pressure around the wound site to promote bleeding. This is a beneficial natural method to cleanse the wound, as some dirt and bacteria might get in during the puncture.
  • Be alert if the bleeding presents severely and does not stop for more than 30 minutes.
• Clean the wound
  • Cleaning the wound as soon as possible is essential to prevent infection and scarring. Cleaning the wound also decreases the risk of having the new skin cells grow over the causal object that is not removed.
  • To clean puncture wounds, you can use tap water to wash it with mild antibacterial soap or irrigate the wound with saline solution.
  • Do not use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol that may harm the tissues and thus, slow the wound healing.
  • Puncture wounds do not commonly bleed or produce fluid discharge. Thus, dressing a puncture wound is more of a personal preference and observation through the wound. However, dressing puncture wound caused by animal bites is not advised, since you may unconsciously trap the bacteria inside the wound, which may lead to infection.
• Relieving pain
  • Puncture wounds on foot, although rarely bleed a lot, are commonly very painful, especially because you put your body weight over this wound site. Thus, pain reliever might be required, especially for people with puncture wounds on feet caused by the penetration of large object.
  • If possible, elevate the wounded area above the heart level to decrease blood flowing into the wound site, so that the caused pain can be minimized.
  • Avoid putting too much pressure on the puncture wound on foot to avoid excruciating pain.
  • Some medications are really effective in relieving pain caused by a puncture wound. Take pills containing acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or anti-inflammatory drug, such as aspirin. However, talk to the doctor first before giving these over-the-counter pain reliever to children suffering from foot puncture wounds.
• Watch for the symptoms of infection
  • This is extremely important, in that puncture wound may trigger infection from any left debris or bacteria. Common signs of infection include warmth around the wound site, swelling, persistent redness, fever or chills, or foul-odor discharge.
  • Puncture wounds on foot may also trigger tetanus, especially if you have not got any tetanus shot within the last 5 to 10 years. Thus, it is very important to get the shot if you are bitten by animals or get wounded from rustic nails and other objects.