The terms Abrasion, Laceration, Contusion are considered in what context during assessment?

• A. They are injuries arranged in order of most to least likely
• B. They are unrelated to injury assessment
• C. They are internal injuries only
• D. They are all equally likely

Answer: (A)

When assessing soft tissue injuries, you focus on three common skin injuries: abrasions, contusions, and lacerations. Abrasions are superficial scrapes of the skin, contusions are bruises from blunt impact that damage beneath the skin, and lacerations are cuts with tearing edges. In the wilderness context, you often consider these injuries in order of how likely you are to encounter them given the mechanism, which guides your assessment and initial care. This helps you know what to expect and how to respond: clean and dress abrasions, check for and control bleeding in lacerations, and monitor contusions for swelling and pain. They are all relevant to injury assessment, they are not internal injuries only, and they are not equally likely in every situation.