Did you know that your family doctor can treat you for many minor injuries — often on the same day?
We treat small and minor injuries such as:
For serious injuries, you should always call 911 or head to the emergency room.
Related services include:
A minor injury is an injury that's not life-threatening. It just needs either basic first aid at home or attention from a health provider.
From dog bites to cuts and scrapes, minor injuries are common.
But many carry the risk of bleeding or infection. That's why it's a good idea to know what signs to look for.
Our family medicine and urgent care providers see a wide range of injuries.
In the office, we have the supplies and expertise to:
We also see people with minor musculoskeletal or sports injuries such as:
There's a lot you can do for minor injuries at home, as long as you manage the risk of infection.
Unless it's an emergency, you can always start with basic first aid at home.
Below are some minor injury examples, with information about at-home care and when to call the doctor.
Apply pressure to stop bleeding. Cuts to the face or head tend to bleed more than other areas. This means they can look worse than they are.
Clean the wound as soon as you can. Wash with soap and warm water for 5 minutes and pat dry with a clean towel.
For scrapes with a lot of dirt, cleanse the wound gently.
Use clean tweezers to remove any bigger pieces of debris. Don't use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide because they can slow healing.
If dirt, glass, or other debris won't come out of the wound, call your doctor for help.
Bandage the wound, and call the doctor if you notice any signs of infection, including:
Your wound may need stitches if it 's:
If the wound continues to bleed after about 10 minutes, you should also seek care. It's normal for scrapes to ooze small amounts of blood or blood-tinged fluid for a day or more.
You can get burns from heat, cold, electric shock, friction, or chemicals.
Burns injure your layers of skin.
First-degree burns injure only the first layer of skin, and are more superficial. By contrast, third-degree injure all skin layers and always need health treatment.
You can treat minor burns yourself at home:
Don't put ice on any burn. It doesn't help.
For severe burns, you should always see a doctor right away.
Dog and cat bites are the most common animal bites in the U.S.
But wild animals and exotic pets can also cause bite injuries and may even give you rabies.
Animals most likely to have rabies include:
Unless the bites are severe or there's a rabies concern, you can treat most bites at home.
Seek medical care if your bite is from a cat or human. These can often lead to infection.
Call your doctor if the bite seems severe or there's a concern about disease.
Otherwise, you can care for bites and stings in the same way you do other wounds.
Make sure to:
As for bites and stings from insects, the biggest concerns are:
Call 911 after a bite or sting if you have symptoms like:
For poisonous spider bites, call 911 or the Poison Center Hotline, especially if you notice:
If your bite isn't an emergency, but is causing you concern, it's a good idea to see a doctor.
Back to topWhen you come for an office visit for one of these minor injuries, we may give you a tetanus shot.
You should get a shot if:
Last reviewed by Susan Marchezak, CRNP on 2024-04-17.
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