Cellulitis After an Injury: When a Swollen Leg Is Urgent
A 50-year-old farmer. Let us call him Sudam. He is not a real patient of mine, but cases like his come to every orthopaedic emergency. While working in the field, he scraped his shin on a stone. He washed it and forgot about it. Three days later the area is red, hot and swollen, and the redness is creeping up towards his knee. Tonight he has fever and chills. His wife asks: "Doctor, it was only a small scratch. How did it become this bad?" This is cellulitis , a bacterial infection of the skin and the tissue under it. Most cases respond well to timely antibiotics, but some need urgent care. Here is how to tell the difference, especially after an injury. Marking the edge of redness on a leg with a pen to check whether cellulitis is spreading, with warning signs that need urgent care Pen line marks today's edge Small cut or scrape where it began See a doctor urgently if: redness passes the line, fever, or severe pain Is it spreading? Check again after 12–...