A bedsore is a skin condition caused by lying in bed for a long time. Many people may lie immobile in bed for long periods due to illness, accidents, disability, coma, anesthesia and so on. Treating the wound with a modern dressings is the most suitable way to solve this problem. So in this article we give a complete explanation of treating bedsores at home. Stay with us to the end.
What Is a Bedsore?
Before explaining bedsore treatments, we need to understand this condition well. A bedsore is a skin and cartilage condition caused by low mobility and prolonged contact of the lower back, buttocks, back of the thighs and calves in a patient who has to stay in bed for several months. In general, the cause is this lack of movement and constant contact of the skin on the back of the body with the bed.
On average, a patient develops a bedsore after lying immobile in bed for more than three weeks. This period can vary from person to person, but anyone who spends more than a month recovering immobile in bed is very likely to develop a bedsore. That is why knowing the best way to treat bedsores is so important.
What Causes Bedsores?
When our body stays in one place for a long time so that oxygen does not reach the skin and cartilage tissue, blood supply gradually becomes impaired and a deep wound forms in that area. The pressure on this area from lying down for a long time also causes the body’s cartilage to break down and show up as inflammation under the skin. In these situations, the person or those around them should look for a quick way to treat the bedsore.
Symptoms of Bedsores
Just as every disease has symptoms, bedsores have specific symptoms that let you tell whether someone has a bedsore. The most important sign is a visible wound on the skin of the lower back and thighs. If, after you see this wound, the patient reports the following symptoms, they have a bedsore and you must find a quick way to treat it.
- Pain around the wound
- A bad smell at the wound site
- Yellow or green infection
- Fever and dizziness
- Physical weakness and a faster heart rate
Who Is at Risk of Bedsores?
Any healthy person who lies in bed for a long time without moving will develop a bedsore, but some people, because of underlying conditions, develop bedsores even after lying in bed for a short time and need treatment much sooner. The underlying conditions that make people prone to severe bedsores include:
People with neurological disorders who lie immobile in bed for more than a week are at serious risk of bedsores.
People who are malnourished for any reason, especially if they do not get enough vitamins C and D, protein and calories.
People with severe obesity, because they move much less, develop bedsores if they lie in bed for about two weeks or more.
People with cardiovascular problems and diabetes, because of poor blood flow in their bodies, are at serious risk of bedsores if they lie in bed for more than a week.
Stages or Degrees of Bedsores
Bedsores have four stages or degrees. Knowing these stages greatly helps in treating bedsores and choosing a treatment. Of course, diagnosing the type of bedsore and its treatment depends on the doctor’s opinion, but it is useful to know these four degrees:
First: in the first stage, the skin turns red and feels very warm to the touch.
Second: the skin around the wound changes color slightly and the wound blisters.
Third: in the third stage, the bedsore takes on a crater-like shape.
Fourth: stage four, the most advanced, involves severe damage and loss of some skin tissue.
In general, if pressure on the bedsore area continues, signs of the wound getting worse, such as more exudate, inflammation and infection, become more apparent. (Knowing about infected wounds can help with prevention and, in some cases, treatment.)
Bedsore Treatment Methods
There are three specialist ways to treat bedsores. Which treatment is right for the patient’s bedsore depends entirely on the specialist doctor. These three options are:
Surgery: surgery is generally used when the bedsore is at stage three or four. Bedsore surgery involves removing the skin layer and the infection beneath it.
Ointment: using wound-healing and infection-reducing ointments is another way to treat bedsores and is mostly used for stage one bedsores.
Treatment with bedsore dressings: the most suitable way to treat bedsores, which gives results quickly and is very simple, is using dressings. Some of the best dressings for this treatment are Bonyan Tajar’s dressings. With a specialist doctor’s diagnosis, you can buy these dressings from reputable pharmacies and use them for treatment.
The most important point at every stage of the wound and treatment is to reposition the patient and remove constant pressure on the wound, which prevents it from recurring.
Prevention Is Better Than Treating Bedsores
After everything we have said about bedsores and their treatment, it is also worth knowing how to prevent them, to reduce the risk when we have to recover in bed. The following are very helpful for preventing bedsores:
Quitting smoking: you may be interested to know that because smoking thickens the blood, it increases the risk of bedsores while resting in bed. That is why quitting smoking is very effective in preventing bedsores.
Exercise: being active in life, especially exercising regularly, makes you less likely to develop bedsores when your body is lying immobile in bed.
Staying calm: if you are under stress in your life, it is best to manage it, because being calm makes you less likely to develop bedsores while resting in bed. (One of the most important things is knowing how to care for wounds at home.)
Take your wounds and your health seriously. Click the link to get complete information about types of wounds, their causes and how to treat them.
What Is a Wound? Types and Treatment with Dressings
Final Word
If the human body is in contact with a bed for a long time so that pressure is placed on the back and legs, not enough oxygen reaches them and blood supply is inadequate, a bedsore develops. One very useful and fast way to treat bedsores is with advanced dressings, which you can buy at excellent quality and a fair price.
Leave a Reply