Forums >Health and Nutrition>Running after Stiches on Leg
I took a tumble while trail running last week and split open my leg just below my knee. Cut was around 2.5cm long, 5mm wide and deep. I received 5 stiches to close up the wound. I'm no doctor but it seems to be healing nicely thus far (4 days post injury).
I'm signed up to run a trail marathon this Saturday (7 days post injury). I asked the P.A. who sewed me up about this - she was quite skeptical at first but seemed to come around and basically said "she's a bad influence but she would probably do it". She talked me through the risks, saying that the wound wouldn't fully open but I could rip the stiches leading to scarring and possible infection, which she seemed nonchalant about. I have quite hairy legs and don't care a ton about scarring in that location but I would like to minimize that if possible.
In the meantime I've been waiting for the skin to heal and strategizing a wound care bandage strategy for the race. Thought is to test it with a shakeout Friday morning and if that goes okay, to attempt the race. I'm not dead set on racing but would like to if I think the skin can mostly hold.
Am I crazy? Has anybody dealt with something similar? Any thoughts by medical professionals?Thanks.
You haven't gotten any responses and I'm not a medical professional of any kind but, it seems to me, you could lose your leg if you end up with an infection. That doesn't seem that unlikely to me. As someone who's had a 106dF fever from an infection and has gotten a few bags of intravenous antibiotics that screw up your general health for months (but kill the infection) I wouldn't chance it. Everyone has their own risk tolerance.
#RunEveryDay
For a road race, maybe, but I wouldn't do it for a trail one. A deep wound that is still that fresh on a course with uneven footing and a chance of tripping is asking for trouble. There will be other races. Better to miss this one, skip the infection you could bring home and be ready for the next one. If you rush healing, you'll end up sidelined even longer.
- Not a medical professional, but someone who wants to be running long term.
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Thanks the the replies - I appreciate the concern.
I went back and forth but after much deliberation and consultation I did end up doing the race. I did a 3 mile run Friday and the wound held with no issues, which gave me the confidence I could start he race. I reinforced the stitches with steristrips and covered the whole thing with Tegaderm so I could see the wound. Tegaderm doesn't stick all that well during exercise, so I secured the perimeter of that with Hypafix tape (can't say enough good things about this product). Everything held up just fine. In hindsight I think the wound was healed sufficiently on it's own and the steristrips didn't do much for support, but the whole system stayed in place and kept everything clean.
Glad it worked out.
Now give yourself some time to heal up.