[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Forensic medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/) › [Mechanical injuries](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/areas/injuries/) › Chop wounds # Chop wounds - Finding Chop wounds are made by heavy edged objects such as machetes or axes; they cut and crush at the same time and often injure bone. Updated Nov 5, 2026 ## Key points - Edge + weight: cut edges with bruising and crushing. - Bone injury is common: a clean cut in the bone, a notch or a fracture. - The machete and the axe are the classic examples. - They usually indicate assault, but the manner is not inferred from the wound alone. On this page - The basics Key points - What it is - How to tell it apart - How to recognise it - How it forms - Step by step - Next step: what to do and document - Common mistakes - Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - Study Test yourself - Connections Connections ## What it is A chop wound (herida cortocontundente) is made by an object with an edge and real weight, swung with force: machete, axe, cleaver. It combines features of an incised wound (cut edges) and of a laceration (bruised, crushed edges), and often cuts or fractures the underlying bone. In Colombia the machete is a common work tool, so these wounds are seen both in assaults and in work accidents. They are traditionally regarded as a sign of assault, but exceptions have been described. ## How to tell it apart - Versus an incised wound: a chop wound has bruised edges and usually reaches bone. - Versus a laceration: it has cut edges and no tissue bridges in the cut part. - Self-infliction of this kind of wound is rare; cases with unusual mechanisms have been described. - The bone injury can help link the wound to the weapon. ## How to recognise it - A wide, deep wound with fairly clean edges plus bruising or abrasion. - Bone injury: a cut, splinter, notch or comminuted fracture. - It can amputate fingers or parts of limbs. - Defence injuries on the hands and forearms. ## How it forms - The heavy blade is swung in an arc with high energy. - The edge cuts the skin; the mass crushes the edges and drives through to the bone. - A blunt edge gives more crushing than cutting features. ## Step by step - Number, measure and locate each wound against anatomical landmarks. - Describe the edges (cut, bruised), depth and structures injured. - Document the bone injury with imaging. - Examine the hands and forearms (defence injuries). - Keep fragments and foreign bodies with chain of custody. ## Next step: what to do and document - Put bleeding control and limb viability first; document afterwards without delay. - Describe each wound and the bone injury in the record and the operative note. - Keep clothing, fragments and any object handed in with chain of custody. - Record the account (assault or work accident) in the patient's own words and follow the reporting pathway where it applies. ## Common mistakes - Classifying it as an incised wound and leaving out the crushing and bone components. - Assuming the manner from the type of wound alone. - Not documenting defence injuries on the hands and forearms. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Which objects cause chop wounds? Objects with an edge and weight swung with force, such as machetes, axes or cleavers. ## Which features does a chop wound combine? Cut edges as in an incised wound and bruising or crushing as in a laceration, often with bone injury. ## Does a chop wound always prove an assault? No. It is usually from assault, but accidents and rare self-inflicted cases occur; the manner is established on all the evidence. [Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/forensic-medicine/chop-wounds/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Mechanical and electrical injury: abrasion, contusion, laceration, wounds](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/mechanical-and-electrical-injury-abrasion-contusion-laceration-wounds/) ## Connections ## Related 4 - [Lacerations: blunt-force tears of the skin](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/lacerations-blunt-force-tears-of-the-skin/) - [Incised wounds](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/incised-wounds/) - [Defence wounds and hesitation marks](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/defence-wounds-and-hesitation-marks/) - [Classifying mechanical injuries](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/classifying-mechanical-injuries/) ## Related conditions 2 - [Penetrating trauma (stab and gunshot wounds)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/penetrating-trauma/) - [Open fracture](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/open-fracture/) [← All of forensic medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/) Educational content on forensic and legal medicine; not legal advice and no substitute for the technical guides of Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Laws change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, follow the guide in force and ask the competent authority. Sources: [Fatal Self-Inflicted Chop Wound by a Supari Cutter (Sudi): A Rare Case With Forensic Analysis of Wound Patterns and Weapon Biomechanics](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13560900/) (Cureus (PMC), 2026); [Pattern and Forensic Significance of Defense Injuries in Homicide Cases: A Cross-Sectional Study](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11964116/) (Cureus (PMC), 2025). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/chop-wounds/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/chop-wounds/