Yikes. You just stepped on a nail. Worse yet. A really rusty nail. What would all that rust do to your body? How long would you have before an infection kicked in? And how could this one rusty nail lead to your death?
Your skin is the largest organ of your body. And yet, the smallest incision or puncture to it opens up the floodgates to all the bacteria in the outside world. That exposes you to health risks and infections. Stepping on a nail would result in a wound that is deeper and narrower than a regular scrape or cut.
This means you are at a higher risk of infection, but the damage is usually considered minor and easily treatable at home. But if the nail is coated in a reddish-brown or orange-brown color, it means it’s covered in rust. The chemical reaction between iron and moisture from air or water. So how does rust make this painful accident even worse?
Do You Have Rusty Water? Causes, Fixes And Safety Issues
The first thing you need to do after stepping on a rusty nail is remove any rust remnants remaining in your wound with clean hands. After that, you should apply some pressure to the wound. This would stop the bleeding. And if you are thinking of rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, stop. These products can harm the tissue and mess up the healing process. Soap is all you’d really need.
That is, if you have it handy. Now take a moment to think about the last time you had your tetanus shot. Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is an infection caused by the Clostridium tetani bacteria. This bacteria can easily contaminate a rusted surface like the nail you just stepped on. The pain might make it hard to remember, but do your best.
About one in ten people infected by tetanus die. Tetanus on a nail would disperse in your blood. And after eight days, you’d start experiencing muscle spasms and contractions. The first sign of trouble would be stiffness in the jaw, known as trismus, followed by a tightness in the neck.
Step Foot On Wooden Ground Foot Stock Photo 574540042
You’d have a real hard time swallowing before that rigidity begins to settle in all of your body’s muscles. Add to that a bad fever, elevated blood pressure and a rapid heart rate. It could be months before you fully recover from this infection, and if not treated immediately the constant spasms may lead to brain damage due to lack of oxygen, broken bones, pneumonia or even death.
What’s the most effective way to prevent tetanus? Get the tetanus toxoid vaccine, and make sure you receive your booster shot about every 10 years. Even if after stepping on a rusty nail you can’t remember if or when you got it, play it safe and take the shot. Oh, and bear in mind that tetanus is not the only thing you could contract from your pointy nemesis.
You could get an abscess or a bad case of cellulitis. So keep your shots up to date and watch where you step. Otherwise, you could end up falling into quicksand.
What Does It Mean When You Find Rusty Nails? Symbolism & Spiritual Meaning
Scroll down to watch our video. You can do anything! Paint a masterpiece in a minute, learn every language in an hour, build a multi-billion dollar company overnight...
Scroll down to watch our video. It’s delicious, it’s packed with protein and fat… and a driver of global climate change? That’s right, this is beef. But what if...
Scroll down to watch our video. Found in the Amazon rivers, instead of biting or stinging their prey, these creatures release up to 600 volts of electricity. This is the...
You Don't Get Tetanus From Rust
Your time has come! You’ve kicked the bucket, cashed in your chips, you’re pushing up the daisies. In other words, you’ve died. Sorry about your loss. Luckily for...
Have you ever heard of the raw meat diet? That’s right, a diet that consists of eating raw meat all day, every day. Most of us have been taught to avoid raw meat...
Have you ever felt that creepy sensation of bugs crawling on your skin in the middle of the night? Don’t worry, It’s probably all in your mind. But it could...
How To Remove Rust From Cast Iron
Scroll down to watch our video. Deep beneath the Earth, something is gearing up to explode! It shoots boiling hot liquid up into the air as high as 160 m (525 ft) feet...
Dry ice is one of the coldest substances on Earth. Now, what would happen if you swallowed dry ice? What would it do to your skin? How much could you eat before it hurts...
This shiny metal is constantly in a liquid state. This is mercury. We normally see this metal in tiny quantities. But what would happen if we took thousands of liters...
Er Or Not: Rusty Nail
This man didn’t brush his teeth for over two years. And unfortunately, he had to get a lot of his teeth removed due to them decaying. This is what would happen if...Though they're indispensable to any construction project, nails are so dangerous that it's a wonder that you don't need a permit to buy them at the hardware store. When trying to hammer a nail into its final destination, the risk of hammering a thumb instead is extremely high. Using a nail gun to place the nails isn't any safer; a simple Internet search will procure gruesome stories of nail gun-related injuries. And even when you're safely ensconced within your automobile, a nail can still produce danger and frustration in the form of a flat tire. But to many people, there is no nail more dangerous than the fabled rusty nail. Legend has it that stepping on a rusty nail will cause tetanus.
Tetanus is also known as lockjaw because one of the first symptoms is muscle contraction in the area around the mouth, which leaves the mouth rigidly frozen. Those muscle contractions can spread throughout the body, sometimes resulting in spasms so intense that they cause fractures [source: Brody]. Spasms can also result in difficulty swallowing or breathing, and other symptoms of the condition include drooling, irritability, fever and sweating. These symptoms usually start to appear one week after infection, though they may appear as soon as a few days after, or even a few weeks after infection. Without treatment, one out of three people die from tetanus [source: Medline Plus].
A tetanus vaccine is part of a standard vaccination regime for infants, but its effects can wear off over time. For that reason, adults are urged to get a booster vaccine every 10 years. Because many people stop getting these vaccines as the years go by, older people make up 70 percent of reported cases of tetanus [source: Brody]. But is a rusty nail the culprit? If so, why? And if not, what causes tetanus?
Fix Your Rusty Dishwasher Rack: Super Easy Diy Steps & Video
The old wives' tale is true -- stepping on a rusty nail has the potential to cause tetanus. But so can a perfectly clean nail, a sewing needle or a scratch from an animal.
Tetanus is caused by bacteria known as Clostridium tetani, which is commonly found in soil, dust and animal feces. Because of its presence in soil and manure, gardeners and others who work in agriculture are particularly at risk for exposure to this bacteria; indeed, some farmers may even have it on their skin. But city-dwellers aren't completely safe -- a dusty sidewalk or street may harbor just as many bacteria.
In the soil or on the skin, C. tetani isn't dangerous, because it can only reproduce in an oxygen-deprived setting. A puncture wound, such as one that might occur from stepping on a nail, can provide that breeding ground. Within the wound, C. tetani releases a neurotoxin known as tetanospasmin, which may be the second most powerful toxin after botulinum [source: Krasner]. It takes only a small amount of tetanospasmin, which causes tetanus's signature muscle contractions and spasms by affecting the nerves, to do the trick.
Myth Busters: You Need A Tetanus Shot If You Step On A Nail.
Rust is not in and of itself a C. tetani carrier; rather, the thinking goes that if the nail has been outside long enough to get rusty, then it's probably been exposed to soils containing the bacteria. The crevices of the rust give the soil a place to hide, and the deep puncture wound gives the C. tetani a place to do its work. Any injury related to puncture is reason for concern, though, no matter how clean the piercing object seemed to be. That includes gunshot wounds and knife stabbings.
But while deep wounds best provide that environment, don't shrug off surface injuries. Every injury, from sewing needle and gardening tool mishaps to animal bites and scratches, carries with it the potential for tetanus. People who perform their own tattooing or piercing are at risk, as are intravenous drug users.
If you do step on a rusty nail or suffer a similar injury, bear in mind that the spores of C. tetani are resistant to antiseptics that are used to clean wounds. You'll have to head to the hospital for an antitoxin known as tetanus immune globulin. The antitoxin must be administered soon after the injury as it can only attack circulating toxins, not the tetanospasmin which may have already attached
0 comments
Post a Comment