To Remove Sea Urchin Spines From Your Feet
If you’re stung by a sea urchin, immediately remove any part of the sea urchin that’s embedded within your body. Use tweezers to remove the large spines. You can use a razor to gently scrape out the pedicellariae.
Recognizing and Treating Sea Urchin Stings
Sea urchins are small, spike-covered sea creatures that live in oceans throughout the world. They can be found in both warm and cold water, though they typically live in relatively shallow water like rock pools, coral reefs, or rocks exposed by the waves. Sea urchins aren’t aggressive, but their likelihood of being in shallow waters where people may be can result in our contact with them. This can result in an inadvertent sting.
While they’re beautiful to behold, sea urchins are extremely painful to make physical contact with. Most people are stung when they accidentally step on or touch a sea urchin, which can be easy to do in murky waters since they like to hide in crevices during the day. In some cases, people (particularly young children) may pick them up not realizing that they may sting.
Sea urchin stings are immediately painful. They often leave puncture wounds on the skin, which can easily become infected if not treated immediately. The stung area may become red and swollen. If the skin is punctured (which is common), the puncture site is often a blue-black bruised color.
Multiple deep puncture wounds can be a very serious injury, especially if accompanied with symptoms such as:
- weakness
- muscle aches
- shock
- paralysis
- intense fatigue
These symptoms may lead to respiratory failure, and even death.
Americans see their primary care doctors less often than they did a decade ago. Adults under 65 made nearly 25% fewer visits to primary care providers in 2016 than they did in 2018, according to National Public Radio. In the same time period, the number of adults who went at least a year without visiting a primary care provider increased from 38% to 46%.
A sea urchin has two defense systems. One is always engaged because it’s the natural, external body. This is made up of long, venomous spikes that are sharp enough to puncture skin. These spikes can also easily break off inside your body after the sea urchin stings you.
The second defense system is more active. It’s called the pedicellariae, which are essentially jaws that can release venom.
The immediate puncture wounds from the spikes will cause severe pain, especially because the spikes can potentially puncture fairly deep into the body.
If you’re stung by a sea urchin, immediately remove any part of the sea urchin that’s embedded within your body. Use tweezers to remove the large spines. You can use a razor to gently scrape out the pedicellariae.
Once you do this, wash the affected area with soap and water.
To manage initial pain after the sting, you can take over-the-counter treatments like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol). You can use topical antibiotic creams like Neosporin on the affected area at least three times a day. If the area is itching, you can use topical hydrocortisone cream.
Stop using the hydrocortisone immediately and call your doctor if there are any signs of infection, such as:
- swelling
- warmth, redness
- fever
- increased pain
Q:
Is it safe to have someone urinate on the area that was stung by a sea urchin?
A:
No, this is not recommended and has not been proven to be helpful.
Justin Choi, MD Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.
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For deep puncture wounds, you should see a doctor.
If you’re experiencing pain for longer than four days after being stung, you should make an appointment to see your doctor. If you experience signs of infection at any point, seek immediate medical attention. You should seek immediate emergency attention if you’re experiencing symptoms such as:
- muscle weakness
- paralysis
- muscle aches
- extreme fatigue
When you see your doctor, they’ll ask about the sting, when it happened, and your symptoms. They’ll examine the area that was stung. If your doctor thinks a spine of the sea urchin may be left inside the body, they may use an X-ray to find its location and remove it. Your doctor may recommend that you get a tetanus shot.
If you have an infection, your doctor will likely prescribe antibiotics. Take the medication for the full course your doctor orders, even if your symptoms subside within just a few days. If the infection is severe enough, your doctor may admit you to the hospital for intravenous (IV) antibiotics.
If spines are embedded within the body or near a joint, they may require surgical removal.
If left untreated, sea urchin stings can cause a number of serious complications. The most common is infection from the puncture wounds, which can become serious very quickly.
Any spines broken off within the body may also migrate deeper if not removed, causing tissue, bone, or nerve injury. This could cause tissue death, joint stiffness, or arthritis. If you experience necrosis, or tissue death, go to the hospital immediately.
Shortness of breath or respiratory failure can happen in rare cases. This requires immediate emergency treatment, including oxygen supplementation and possible ventilation.
Sea urchins are beautiful creatures, but like most animals in nature, they are best observed from afar. The stings can be severely painful and can cause a number of serious complications if not treated promptly.
With treatment, the pain and symptoms should subside within five days. If the pain hasn’t subsided, or if you see signs of infection or other complications, make an appointment to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Last medically reviewed on August 29, 2017
How we reviewed this article:
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- Barish RA, et al. (2016). Sea urchin stings.
merckmanuals.com/professional/injuries-poisoning/bites-and-stings/sea-urchin-stings - Dahl WJ, et al. (2010). Sea urchin injuries to the hand: A case report and review of the literature.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958287/ - Rosario-Aloma R, et al. (n.d.). Management of complicated envenomation from sea urchin sting.
podiatryinstitute.com/pdfs/Update_2015/2015_36.pdf
To Remove Sea Urchin Spines From Your Feet
Jay DiMartino is a writer and a former competitive surfer who spent more than a decade competing on the famed North Shore of Oahu.
Updated on 05/09/18
Tobias Bernhard/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images
Warm water and craggy reef crevices make for cozy homes for sea urchins. Their sharp thorn-like spines are meant to protect the urchins from predatory creatures, but they can also injure wayward surfers, scuba divers, and swimmers who don’t spot them in time.
The spines generally cause little harm beyond pain and the possibility of infection. However, if you do experience an allergic reaction, such as difficulty with breathing, see a doctor right away.
Removing Sea Urchin Spines
Here are tips on how to remove sea urchin spines from your feet if you ever find yourself in such an unfortunate state.
- Soak in hot water—Alleviate the pain and soften the needles by soaking the afflicted area in hot water.
- Settle down with a pair of tweezers—Try to pick out as many of the pieces as you can with a knife, needle or, preferably, tweezers. The biggest problem is that sea urchin spines often break off under the skin, so be very careful when plucking out the spines.
- Soak in vinegar—Urban legend has it that human urine, or pee, will treat both jellyfish stings and sea urchin spines, but peeing on the afflicted area does not actually work. Try using distilled white vinegar instead. Soak the area in pure vinegar (a solution of hot water and vinegar will work as well), which will soften the spines. The urchin spines will either dissolve under the skin or lift to the surface. Continue to soak the affected area until the spines are gone.
- Rinse with soap and water—When all of the spines are gone, avoid infection by rinsing the afflicted area with soap and clean water.
- Let a doctor remove any remaining spines—If there are any spines that you cannot remove or are too painful to remove, you should make an appointment with a doctor, who can remove the spines with more refined tools.
Why Sea Urchins Attack
Actually, sea urchins don’t really attack humans. They aren’t aggressive creatures, and they tend to be slow-moving. Stings are usually the result of an accidental brush between a human and a sea urchin.
The sea urchin’s spines are its way of defending itself when it feels threatened. There are many types of sea urchins with spines that differ in sharpness and length. Some species’ spines are filled with venom, while others are not. But even without venom, the spines are an effective and painful defensive tool.
Some sea urchin species have another painful tool to protect themselves called pedicellarines, tiny, claw-like structures that can grab your skin and inject a painful poison.
Don’t take a brush with a sea urchin lightly. In addition to infection, you could suffer more severe consequences if venom builds up in your system. Uncommon but possible effects are fainting, muscle spasms, and difficulty breathing. Left untreated in enough quantity, the venom could be fatal.
Sea Urchin in Foot Removal & Treatment
If you have ever ventured out into the ocean as a surfer, swimmer, or scuba diver, you have likely come across one of the many interesting species of sea urchins. You can find a wide variety of sea urchins in different colors, shapes, and sizes. If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you; but step on one and get a sea urchin in your foot, and you will definitely need to know what to do to treat the injury!
Let’s learn more about what to do with a sea urchin sting and more about this prickly creature!
Table of contents
- Prickly Creatures
- What is a Sea Urchin?
- How Big is a Sea Urchin?
- How Does a Sea Urchin Travel in the Water?
- Where does a Sea Urchin Live?
- Are Sea Urchins Poisonous?
- Are Sea Urchins Deadly?
- Sea Urchin Spines
- How Can I Avoid a Sea Urchin Sting?
- Mares Rubber Sole 5mm Dive Boot
Prickly Creatures
Seemingly harmless, the sea urchin has a unique defense system that includes two different modes of protection. This protection comes most obviously in the form of the exterior spikes, which may contain harmful venom. The urchins commonly use their spikes to defend themselves against predators such as other fish, eels, and crabs.
This article will help you discover how best to remove the sea urchin’s spines with our five-step method. For example, you may get one of the spines of a sea urchin in your foot for the first time; what will you do? Safely removing the sea urchin from your skin is something that every beachgoer should know how to do just in case you suffer from an unexpected sting. Keep reading as we answer some of the most commonly asked questions about sea urchin stings and removing the spines of a sea urchin from your foot.
What is a Sea Urchin?
A sea urchin is a type of marine animal known as an echinoderm. Each of the 950 or more urchins species plays a vital role in maintaining the reef’s ecosystem. Numerous benefits are linked to urchins’ presence, such as how they work to balance coral and algae, build reef resilience, and provide settlement spaces for corals. In contrast, a large sea urchin outbreak could lead to unsustainable bio-erosion.
How Big is a Sea Urchin?
The sea urchin’s average size is one to four inches (10.1 centimeters), while larger species can reach up to 14 inches (35.5 centimeters). Long-Spined Urchin (Diadema Antillarum) quickly penetrates the skin with their spines if you contact one in the water.
How Does a Sea Urchin Travel in the Water?
A sea urchin moves around by using its tube feet which are assisted by its spines. Don’t worry; they typically only move about 3 to 20 inches (50.8 centimeters) per day. The sea urchin can not intentionally reach out towards you and bite or sting you; it simply can be a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Where does a Sea Urchin Live?
You can only find sea urchins in the ocean, and they can not survive in freshwater systems. The urchins enjoy living in rock pools, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. They move in a similar way to starfish, and while they don’t have eyes, they can sense movement.
Are Sea Urchins Poisonous?
A close-up of the beautiful but dangerous flower sea urchin (Toxopneustes Pileolus). Photo by Vincent C. Chen
One sea urchin species called the Flower Sea Urchin or Toxopneustes Pileolus is the most dangerous sea urchin in the world. It is commonly found in the tropical Indo-West Pacific which includes the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, connecting together in the general area of Indonesia. Other sea urchins with poisonous spines include those in the Echinothuridae, Toxopneustes, and Tripneustes species.
Are Sea Urchins Deadly?
Fatalities from sea urchin stings have occurred and some sea urchin species (as noted above) can be deadly. In severe cases, nausea, vomiting, paresthesias (“pins and needles”), muscular paralysis, and respiratory distress may occur.
Sea urchins are also harvested and consumed as a delicacy in some locations around the world; commercial fishing and harvesting are considered a high-risk industry. Fishermen are more likely to suffer injury as they intentionally come into contact with the sea urchins.
Sea Urchin Spines
Sea urchin spines are composed of calcium carbonate and are currently the only animals that can still see without having eyes. This is truly amazing as they instinctively use the cells in their feet to sense light.
Despite its appearance, this is not the sea urchin’s ‘eye.’ Their spines are light sensitive and this is how they ‘see.’ Photo Gerhard G. / Pixabay
How Can I Avoid a Sea Urchin Sting?
To avoid touching a sea urchin, mind your step, and avoid jumping into the shallow water from the shore or a boat if you do not have a clear view of the bottom.
For scuba divers, the tides and currents can cause you to brush up against the urchins, and yes, the spines can even puncture through neoprene so take good care to avoid them as much as possible. It is common for new scuba divers to be directed to kneel on the sandy floor-bed when practicing Open Water skills, so do exercise caution and always check where you are placing your legs and arms.
Mares Rubber Sole 5mm Dive Boot
Dive boots or ‘booties’ like these, can protect your feet when you enter the water for a shore dive.
You will wear these walking into the water, and when you are deep enough, you can lay on your back and put your fins on for the dive.
These Mare boots run large, so do not size up.
What Happens when I Step on a Sea Urchin?
In the best case scenario of stepping on a sea urchin, the delicate spine will just break off and be embedded in your skin. It will be sensitive but not toxic. To encourage the spine to come out, you can soak your foot in clean, warm water. This will soften your skin and over time your body will push the non-toxic spine out.
However, multiple deep puncture wounds from stepping on a sea urchin may cause severe injury, especially if accompanied by symptoms such as:
- Weakness
- Muscle aches
- Shock
- Paralysis
- Intense fatigue
A serious sea urchin sting may cause pain to the injury site leading to swelling and inflammation. Symptoms from a venomous sea urchin sting will lead to additional symptoms such as dizziness, breathing problems, chest pain, changes in heart rate, loss of consciousness, nausea, and vomiting. In the worst-case scenario, the venom will enter the bloodstream and cause death.
Sea Urchin Removal
If you have a sea urchin spine injury, it is essential to remove the affected area’s spine. The calcium-filled spines that a sting can leave behind can be difficult to remove from the skin, so if you can, ask someone for assistance and be gentle to avoid the spines from breaking inside the skin.
Anyone with allergic reactions to bites or stings should take extra precautions and get medical assistance immediately. The following is a guide to help you known what steps to take if this should occur and is not intended to replace the possible need for medical care:
Step 1: Immerse the area for 30 – 90 minutes in hot water. Sea urchin toxins are heat-labile meaning hot water immersion is very effective in reducing the pain. If you can not access hot water, try to source vinegar as this will help the spines dissolve, making them easier to remove. Vinegar and hot water bath commonly use treatment to break down the spines so they can be successfully removed from the skin.
Step 2: Remove the larger spines with tweezers (use a magnifying glass if possible).
Step 3: Remove the smaller spines known as pedicellariae by scraping them carefully with a razor or a credit card.
Step 4: Clean the wound with warm water and soap. Always use the cleanest possible water to prevent infection to the wound.
Step 5: Rinse the wound with clean water again to ensure all spines are removed. If you find that the spines can not be removed, you should see medical attention for assistance right away.
It is typical for the site of the sting to turn blue or black. This is a symptom of the dye, which the sea urchin may release on impact or as a result of minor bruising. Remember to keep the wound clean and treat the area with a topical antiseptic ointment to ensure no bacteria causes an infection. If you are concerned about infection, seek further medical advice as a doctor may suggest a round of antibiotics.
Final Thoughts
Sea urchins should not bother you while you are exploring the ocean’s beauty, but it is possible that a simple misstep can lead you to be stung and get the sea urchin spines in your foot. Follow the five steps for removing the sea urchin spines from your foot mentioned above and seek further medical attention if required. We hope that the sea urchin populations continue to protect the coral reefs and learn to appreciate their vital role in the ecosystem.
