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Bed Sores Remedy & Cure

Bed sores, or pressure sores, are areas where the skin or tissue has become damaged because circulation has been cut off. They get their name because they often develop on bed-ridden people, but any loss of circulation can cause bed sores. People who are wheelchair-bound can also develop them. They most commonly develop on the hips, heels and buttocks. Because bed sores are difficult to heal, the best way to treat them is to prevent them. When bed sores do develop, several treatment options are available.

  1. Relieve Pressure

    • The first step in treating bed sores is to relieve the pressure that caused them to develop. People who are bed-ridden or wheelchair-bound need to change their position frequently, preferably about every 15 minutes for people in wheelchairs and every two hours for those confined to bed. Be sure to ask a nurse or other caregiver for help. Additionally, special mattresses, cushions and pads have been designed to help protect against bed sores and prevent them from becoming worse.

    Non-Surgical Treatment

    • Once a bed sore has developed, several treatments may be utilized to encourage healing and prevent it from getting worse. First, thoroughly cleaning the area to prevent an infection is important. The wound should also be properly dressed to encourage new cells to grow and the sore to heal. The type of dressing depends on the severity of the sores. In many cases, doctors may recommend a surgical debridement to remove the dead tissue from the area. Several debridement techniques are available, both surgical and nonsurgical. Your doctor may also prescribe an antibiotic to treat any infection in the sores.

    Surgical Treatments

    • In many cases, bed sores may progress to the point that surgical repair is necessary. The goals of surgery include preventing infection, reducing fluid loss, improving appearance and hygiene and preventing complications such as cancer. The type of surgery depends on where the sore is. Most procedures involve using skin, muscle or other tissue to reconstruct the skin where the sore developed.

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