That’s been the dilemma for mankind since its beginning. Everyone thinks they know the proper way to treat something, but most of their information comes from bad sources, anecdotal experience or something they’ve read on the Internet. In short, it’s a lot of bad information, some of which can have bad outcomes and are as dangerous as the initial injury.
The medical journal BMJ Quality & Safety claims that about 12 million adults who seek outpatient medical care each year are misdiagnosed. In about half the cases, the misdiagnosis threatens to result in severe harm to the patient.
Think about that. You’re in a professional medical setting, with fully trained doctors and nurses, yet half the time, you walk away with the wrong information. Although that study did not determine how many were harmed by bad information, it’s likely that more than a few people needlessly suffered or prolonged their condition by treating the injury or illness the wrong way. Even worse, if they had a serious underlying medical condition, delaying proper treatment may have had dire consequences.
The Chaos of Playgrounds
Typically, the atmosphere in a doctor’s office is calm and analytical. While medical professionals may be busy, there is no real limit on the amount of time they can take to assess what’s wrong and make a recommendation.
Now shift that situation to a playground or the scene of an accident – a child has fallen and has a nosebleed. Or someone has been ejected from their automobile by the force of a collision. If no medical professionals are on the scene, what usually happens is a gathering of people offering advice – “Don’t touch him/touch him, roll him over/let him sit up, breathe through your nose/breathe through your mouth.” You’ve seen it many times, and this rolling wave of contradictions causes panic and confusion.
Here are some examples of injury treatments that a good number of people believe are effective but are actually bad for you, if not downright dangerous.
What NOT to Do
1) The Nosebleed – Tilting the head back is a common bit of advice when someone suffers from a nosebleed. But here’s the thing – tilting the head back will do nothing to stop the flow of blood, and will merely re-route it down the throat, leading to choking, upset stomach and, in some cases, vomiting. The correct method of dealing with a nosebleed is actually the opposite of conventional wisdom. Lean forward, pinching the nose to stop blood from escaping and wait for the bleeding to stop, which usually happens within 10 minutes.
2) Muscle and Knee Injuries – Here’s one that professional athletes have been trying, some with great success: taking a mixture of bone marrow and fat, putting it into a high-tech blender, then having it injected into the body. It has worked with great success with athletes like New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon, who had a number of ripped tendons and muscles in his arm, shoulder and back. He underwent the treatment and came back to resume a successful career. But numerous medical studies suggest that this largely untested method may be more dangerous than it appears. The United States Food and Drug Administration warns that a syringe of stem cells taken from one’s own body and injected back may multiply, form tumors or migrate to other parts of the body. In some animal tests, any regenerated tissue from the stem cell treatments is weaker than its predecessor and may lead to even bigger problems than the original injury.
3) Poisoning – Everyone seems to think that inducing vomiting is the correct way to deal with suspected cases of poisoning. Some doctors recommend it, but like all advice, not every situation has a one-size-fits-all solution. In the case of poisoning, what was ingested may be highly alkaline, so vomiting it back up may severely burn the throat or worse -- redirect the highly acidic poisons to the lungs. The only thing that can be done is to make sure that there is no poison left in the mouth, follow the instructions of 911 operators and then wait until help arrives with a potential antidote.
4) Burns – The first instinct is to rub burned areas with something cold – ice, butter or bags of frozen vegetables. The frozen items may help lessen pain, but it does nothing for healing burns. In fact, putting ice on a burn may even cause frostbite, which can exacerbate the injury. The key to treatment is actually flushing the burn with water and then covering the burn with an antiseptic or gauze to stop air from affecting it. At that point, it’s time for some Advil or other over-the-counter painkiller.
5) Jellyfish Stings – This one dates back to ancient times. The idea is to urinate on the area stung by a jellyfish sting. The idea is that the urine – which is sterile – has the magic power to lessen the pain. In fact, urinating on it will increase pain because the stinging cells embedded in the flesh are activated by fresh water, which is what urine contains. It's much better to pour salt water on the area and try to remove any cells by scraping the area.
6) Inflammed Muscles – Weekend warriors know that sometimes they overdo it out on the fields of combat, resulting in really sore muscles. They slather on the Bengay, Icy Hot, Tiger Balm or other solutions, hoping that deep-down warmth will loosen things up. But sports creams are medicine, and too much of a good thing can be bad. The methyl salicylate in most creams is a toxic chemical, and if the skin absorbs too much, the consequences are serious and may even result in death.
There are many other old wives' tales and faulty information circulating about injury treatment. Your best bet is to read up on injury treatment before reacting or consult a trained medical professional as soon as possible. Treating an injury the wrong way may lead to further difficulties, so make sure you’re following the best advice before reacting.