Common Hiking Injuries: Prevention and First Aid

Hiking is a favorite American pastime. From sandy beachside dunes, higher elevation climbs or peaceful forests, you’ll find hikers on the trail year-round. For experienced hikers, injuries are expected. The more time spent on treks teaches that the simplest misstep can result in a sprain or a trip-and-fall when off the beaten path. Because experience is a great teacher, well-heeled hikers know to bring along first aid kits that can help when the inevitable injury occurs. Less experienced hikers might not be as ready for common hiking injuries and find themselves far afield, injured and unprepared.

Experienced hikers know that the first line of defense is good footwear. Regular tennis shoes or, heaven forbid, flip-flops does not a safe hike make. There is a reason for different types of footwear, and hiking shoes are a must for stability, cushioning and the grip needed to traverse the trails. To avoid the most common hiking injury, blisters, be sure to break in the shoes before getting on the trail and use socks that are appropriate to the task at hand.

Sprains, strains and even fractures can happen on the trail- especially on the more difficult ones. A first-aid kit is a must for these types of injuries. The Red Cross has a comprehensive first aid kit checklist that will help you build out a kit that can help treat injuries you may experience on your hike.

Bites, stings and envenomation can happen on the trail. If you are going through areas with large snake populations, you may want to invest in leg guards as a preventative measure. For bee stings, scorpion stings and other bug bites topical antiseptics are generally all you’ll need. Prevention is worth a pound of cure, so bring bug spray and avoid areas where biting insects occur.

For more serious injuries, the kind that make extricating yourself nearly impossible, your best preparation is a fully charged phone and GPS device. They are the most valuable items in an emergency kit. Breaking a bone, snake bite, or serious falls can be the types of issues that happen on a hiking trail requiring medical assistance to come to you. Be sure your device is fully charged and that someone at home knows where you are going and when you’ll be back.