Should That Cut Be Stitched? Ways To Assess It

A commonly sustained injury is a cut, and it's one of those injuries that can be as minor as a paper cut or as serious as a gaping wound. Understanding when a cut you've experienced is one that warrants a visit to your local urgent care starts with determining whether or not it's likely to need stitches. Here's a look at a few of the most common indications that you might need to get stitches at your local urgent care center.

What Does Your Cut Look Like?

The first factor to consider if you're deciding whether or not your cut needs stitches is the appearance of the cut itself. Is the cut wide open and gaping? Or, does it have ragged edges? If so, or if the cut is more than about a quarter of an inch deep, you should visit your local urgent care center for stitches. That's because cuts like these often don't close easily on their own, which impedes healing.

Is The Cut Somewhere Challenging?

The next thing to think about is the actual location of the cut. If you are cut somewhere that is hard to immobilize while it heals, such as inside an elbow or around your knee, it's usually important to visit a local urgent care center for stitches. These types of cuts face some unique challenges when it comes to healing because of the movement that occurs with joints. That movement can make it difficult for a cut to heal properly. With stitches, the cut will stay closed up long enough to heal.

How Clean Was The Injury?

You'll also want to consider the actual incident itself. Think about what cut you, or where the injury happened. Is there any kind of risk of contamination from dirt or any other hazards? Remember that a clean cut is a safe cut, so any potential risk of dirty, contaminated injuries needs to be taken seriously. Take time to assess the situation and think about whether or not the cut is clean. If it's not, visit your local urgent care to have the cut cleaned out, disinfected, and stitched up.

Is The Bleeding Stopping?

If your cut is still bleeding after applying consistent, firm pressure, that's a sign that you need an urgent care doctor's treatment. When the bleeding isn't stopping with the usual interventions, it likely needs stitches to help encourage healing and clotting.

Reach out to an urgent care center near you today for more information and to get the treatment you need for your cut.

For more information, contact a company like Western WI Health.