The cut: react according to the extent of the wound
If the wound is superficial, run it under cold water and wash it with Marseille soap. Rinse thoroughly and disinfect with gauze and a skin antiseptic solution based on chlorhexidine (Hexomédine ®). The wound will heal better if it is covered with a bandage which also protects it from over-infections.
If the cut is deep, go to the emergency room or call for help. Ditto if it is located in front of a joint, on the path of a tendon or a nerve.
If the finger is severed, pick up the amputated part and put it in a clean airtight bag (freezer type) to place in another bag filled with ice. Avoid contact of the finger with the ice (risk of frostbite). Call 15, which will direct you to a service SOS hands.
How to prevent cuts?
Switch off and unplug an appliance (mower, hedge trimmer) before handling it.
Hold your hedge trimmer with both hands and switch on the ignition before climbing the ladder.
Never remove security systems gardening equipment.
The bulb: Protect without delay
If it is not pierced, do not touch it.
Apply a bandage that forms a protective second skin. The blister will heal in 8 days.
If it is pierced, disinfect it with an alcohol-free antiseptic, then protect it with a hydrocolloid dressing which gels on contact.
How to prevent blisters?
Choose a light and handy material.
Maintain your tools, especially the pruning blade, to provide less effort.
Regularly change activity.
Painful wrist or shoulder: Take a “real” break
If it is not a stiffness, it is undoubtedly the beginning of tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon) following repetitive and prolonged work with a secateurs or a hedge trimmer. Unless it is due to the cherry picking!
Apply a cold pack (in pharmacies) 10 minutes on the painful area, once or twice a day, for 8-10 days.
Massage with a cold gel (arnica gel), or apply a compress of green clay (strip or pad ready to use) for an hour before going to bed.
Wait a week before starting to garden again.
How to prevent pain?
Take his time and not wanting to finish his garden at all costs during the day.
Buy suitable equipment to his body size and remember to oil his tools regularly.
Avoid working at arm’s length, take care of your shoulders, especially when trimming hedges. Stand at the right height with your elbows against your body, your legs a little apart and your chest straight.
When should I consult?
If you notice swelling or redness around the cut, if the wound becomes hot or purulent, if a yellowish crust forms on the wound, if you feel small glands in the neck or if you have a fever, see a doctor. doctor. Ditto if you continue to suffer after 2 or 3 days of rest.
A splinter in the finger: remove it and disinfect
The risk is superinfection, which can reach the inside of the finger and the tendons.
Extract the thorn with tweezers, which will have been disinfected beforehand.
Avoid pressing on the thorn (or the splinter), at the risk of driving it deeper into the skin, or breaking it.
Apply a compress antiseptic on the wound.
Monitor the appearance of the finger. If it becomes red, painful, consult quickly.
And to prevent splinters in the finger, you have to remember to wear gloves (rather leather) to protect yourself while preserving the agility of the fingers.
Onset of lumbago? Take a hot bath
This pain in the lower back is often linked to poor posture or to excess mechanical pressure on the spine (need to bend down to the ground and carrying loads).
Stop gardening from the first pain and take a hot bath which relieves muscles and releases lumbar tension.
Lie down and take an ibuprofen tablet.
How to prevent lumbago?
Always keep your back straight facing the work we do.
Bend knees, feet apartstraight back for lifting or resting a load.
Crouch and Kneel on the Ground (gardening bench, small cushion) for planting or weeding.
Wear a flexible lumbar belt, if you’ve ever had back pain alerts.
Watch out for tetanus!
This disease is caused by a very resistant bacterium, present in the soil, which superinfects the wound. Vaccination is the only protection against tetanus, which still causes deaths each year in France. After the 5 childhood injections (DTPaP), consider getting vaccinated every 20 years from 25 years, then every 10 years from 65 years.
Our experts: Dr Jacky Laulan, head of the SOS hands service at Tours hospital (37); Alexa Rosenkrantz, osteopath
and Stéphane Aubert, gardener in a local authority
For further
How to heal a wound naturally
To live 100 years, cultivate your garden
6 healthy reasons to start gardening
