A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 

Graze

A graze is a superficial injury where the knee is scraped along a rough surface, eg the road.

Grazed knees are common in skateboard and cycling, and are often called ‘road rash’. Although superficial, they can be irritating as they are prone to infection and may form a creamy-white ‘slough’ (pronounced ‘sluff’), which prevents the wound drying and healing over.

One needs to be aware of the sort of injury where a knee only looks grazed, but a deeper wound has formed an entry for road dirt into the interior of the knee. This can be determined by probing the deeper aspects of the graze with a blunt sterile instrument (eg tip of a knitting needle, sterilised) to make sure that they do not lead into the knee joint itself. If there is deeper penetration, then it is advised to see a doctor to make sure that there is no foreign material deep inside the knee.