A Gash From Hedge Shears

What it is: More than just a good excuse to stop pruning, this can be a serious cut.

What to do at home:

• Run water over the cut for at least 60 seconds to wash out any debris.
• Sit down, elevate the injury, and apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
• If you haven't had a tetanus booster in the past five years, check with your doctor to see if you need one, because tetanus spores are often present in dirt.

Seek immediate help:

• If the cut is longer than a half inch and you can gently pull the edges of the cut apart (even if they come back together). That's a sign you need stitches.
• If a scar's placement could affect your appearance, you may want stitches even if the cut isn't that big.
• Worst-case scenarios: Rhythmically spurting blood indicates you've cut an artery, numbness could signify a severed nerve, and inability to move an extremity may mean you've cut a tendon.