Before we start, a big, hearty thanks to all for the Turkey Support System that followed last week's post (which I may have to formally host on an annual basis). Your TSS gave me the confidence to tackle the pale and intimidating gobbler. I can comfortably say that I took that turkey down and showed it no mercy till it was golden, crisp and...dare I say it?
It was the BEST turkey I've ever had.
Yes, I owned that turkey. (Well, yeah, of course I bought it, but you know. I mean owned in a more lordly kinda way. Ahem.)
Okay. On to today's post!
Likely there will be more future posts on GSWs. After all, fiction (and the occasional wild turkey) has quite the propensity for high velocity injuries. (See my first post on gun shot wounds to the head).
A character is shot in the back of his calf by a rifle. How long would it take to heal, until he could walk and eventually be able to run?
The severity of GSW depend on many issues. So, a few basics:
1) Velocity. Generally, the faster the bullet travels, the more damage can be done, for instance, rifles shoot bullets at a higher velocity than handguns.
2) Mass. The bigger the bullet, the more damage is done.
3) Fragmentation. Some bullets are designed to break apart on impact, and thus cause more damage to a larger area.
4) Penetration. How far the bullet travels into a body part will affect what and how badly it's damaged
5) Cavitation. This is the shock-wave like effect of the bullet. This damage is more apt to occur in certain body parts, like the brain or liver, rather than muscle.
So, if this person got hit in the calf, the healing depends on the type of injury. The great thing is this is fiction, so you can decide how bad of an injury you want. Sort of like ordering food at a restaurant.
Would you like a shattered bone with that bullet hole? A side order of nerve injury?
So. If you want an injury that's really severe, you may want a severely broken bone (probably the tibia). Also, a torn artery would need surgical repair, and severe muscle injury (if the bullet was very destructive) would cause a lot of muscle damage. Then there's the possibility of nerve damage. Sometimes this can be surgically repaired or healed naturally; sometimes it cannot and cause permanent problems. We're talking about a person walking on the injured leg only after perhaps 8 weeks, running after 4 months, or even longer if the healing process doesn't go smoothly, or with permanent disability for any of the reasons above and no running, ever.
However, if you want a simpler injury, a non-fragmenting, clean shot through the "meat" of the calf, with no major vessel or nerve injury, could be recovered from pretty quickly. As in, walking in a week and running in only a couple of weeks.
Is it true that guys in combat can somehow still run and function right after they've been shot? Do they not feel pain because of adrenaline?
"Stress-induced analgesia" is a term that describes when pain is masked by a stressful or life-threatening situation. It's thought to be related to endorphins rather than adrenaline. Endorphins are naturally occurring chemicals that resemble morphine in our brains and can mask the pain of a severe injury during a stress response.
Okay, sorry for the super long post! Have a Happy Monday!
Please keep in mind this post is for writing purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice (see sidebar disclaimer).
If you've got a fictional medical question, let me know! Post below or email me at
All I ask is that you become a follower and post a link on your blog when I post your answer.
Also, don't forget to check out Mental Health Mondays at Laura's Blog!