It can be hard to categorize and interpret these injuries because of tissue compression at the time of injury, partial insertion of the wounding instrument, or movement of the wounding instrument caused by a perpetrator or a struggling victim. It's best to accurately document the wound by measuring and describing the injury. Sharp force injuries are generally differentiated from blunt force injuries by their clean appearance. They lack ragged edges, marginal abrasions, and nerves and vessels that bridge the wound. They usually result in lacerations, abrasions, contusions, and fractures.
Lacerations are blunt force injuries in which the tissue is torn.
They may mimic sharp force injuries when the trauma is inflicted on skin surfaces overlying bone, like the skull. Laceration is the must frequently misused term that describes injuries. Lacerations result only from blunt force impact. Abrasions are usually subcategorized as scraping injuries, grazes, impact impressions, and friction burns. They may indicate the weapon's direction of force and, especially in the case of impact impressions, may provide clues to identify the wounding instrument.