Stingrays: How to Treat a Stingray Injury & Reduce the Pain

Having been hit by stingrays 4 separate times, I have reluctantly become somewhat of a first-person authority on stingrays and stingray injuries.  I have a couple friends who even call me Stingray Brian now.

How to treat a stingray injury:

The only thing that works is very hot water.

The only thing that will help reduce the pain of a stingray injury is submerging your foot in the hottest water you can stand – without burning yourself.

If someone is at home, call them and tell them to start boiling water in a large pot.

Find a clean bucket.  You want it clean so you reduce your chances of infection.  To be safer, you can line the bucket with a new trash bag.

Combine the boiling water and some cold water into the bucket until it’s something you can put your foot in safely.

While you’re add it, you may consider adding a good amount of liquid dish soap to the water to further reduce the chances of infection.

Why does hot water work?

It is thought that heat breaks down the protein molecule found in the venom.

The relief you experience after putting your foot in hot water is nearly instant, and it takes away about 50%-75% of the pain.

Consider scrubbing the wound.

When I get stung, and I’m sure there is no barb stuck in my foot, I preemptively scrub the injury with a betadine scrub pad.

The level-10 pain of this is nearly-unbearable, but I do it in an attempt to get as much of the gnarly bacteria and poison out of the immediate area.

I do this before, during and after my hot water soak.

Keep the wound dressed and clean.

After the soak, I keep the wound covered. Use Neosporin an a clean bandage.

It’s important not to let any foreign bacteria enter the wound.

See a doctor.

At this point, I’d highly advise you see (or at least call) your doctor.

To save time, ask your doctor about the following potential antibiotics, which have proven to be very effective for me:

• Cephalaxin 500 MG
• Doxycycline Hyclate 100 MG

My doctor, realizing that I’m in the water a lot, preemptively wrote me a prescription for antibiotics to take in the event I am hit by a stingray.  I start taking them during my soak time now, until I can my doctor.

You really probably should see a doctor.

I know myself and what works for me at this point: Hot water and an immediate antibiotic regimen.  But I keep an eye on it.  If it isn’t drastically better by the morning, I go see my doctor.

The issue is this:

If a portion of the stingray barb is still in your skin, it is not going to come out by itself like a splinter would. The stingray barb has evolved to go one way: Deeper into the skin. And this can become a huge problem if left untreated.

Stingray venom and the stingray barbs are very nasty.  Risk for infection is compounded by any saltwater-resistant bacteria that may be on the stingray barb as well.

Not seeing a doctor, you could even lose your foot. It’s not worth the risk.

The third time I was stung, an acute cellulitis infection required me to be hospitalized for a night.

My foot swelled to 3 times it’s normal size, and required a few rounds of some very gnarly intravenous antibiotics: