1. First Aid Essentials Slideshow Pictures
2. First Aid Bandaging Injuries Slideshow Pictures
3. First Aid Sprains & Strains Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Scott D. Fell, DO, FAAEM

Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Treatment for weeverfish stings includes the following steps:

•  Soak the puncture site in non-scalding hot water (to 110 degree F or 43.3 C) for 30 to 90 minutes or until significant pain relief occurs. The belief is that that heat may have to make some of the venom (toxins) inactive. It may also help to reduce some of the spasm that occurs in the surrounding blood vessels.
•  Vinegar, urine, ammonia or other substances added to the hot water have shown no benefit.
•  Pain medications such as narcotics may help, but often times do not. A doctor or health care professional may inject the puncture site with an anesthetic (such as lidocaine) to try to numb the area and relieve pain. Sometimes a nerve block (which is injecting around the nerve that controls the pain of that region) is helpful.
•  The spines rarely break off in the wound; however, if they do, they should be carefully removed by an experienced health care professional to assure no pieces remain in the tissue, risking infection.
•  The puncture site (or wound) should be left open and should not be covered with tape or sutured (stitches) to allow for drainage of the wound. Closing the wound or covering it with tape increases the risk of the wound getting infected.
•  Antibiotic use is controversial, however due to the possibility of infection occurring, and the deep puncture wounds that the weeverfish spines make, preventative antibiotics are generally given.
•  There is no antivenin available at this time for a weeverfish sting.
•  Be sure to monitor the area for the first signs of infection which include but are not necessarily limited to:
  • Fever
  • Increased redness
  • Pus (thick drainage from the wound)
  • Increased pain
  • Increased swelling