How does pressing on wounds help stop bleeding?
In: Biology
When you put direct pressure on the wound (like pushing tissue or gauze right where the bleeding is), you’re stopping the blood from flowing out freely. It can start to build up on the surface of the skin and start getting to work thickening up and scabbing over.
When you’re putting indirect pressure on (pushing on a pressure point), you’re actually limiting the blood from flowing to the wound in the first place.
When you press on a wound, you put pressure on the arteries and veins that are open from the wound. This pressure closes off the arteries and veins to slow and stop the flow of blood.
While you put pressure, the bleed has a chain reaction to start clotting to close the wound and repair the arteries/veins from the inside.
You are squeezing the blood vessels to reduce blood flow. If those vessels are damaged, this reduces the blood loss from them.
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