When To See A Wound Care Specialist?

When you have a wound that doesn’t heal or take a significant amount of time to get healed, it can have a tremendous impact on a patient’s life. Thereby, it is essential to know which types of wounds can be treated at home & which ones require special medical care & treatment. In this blog, we are exploring when you should see a wound care specialist?

Wounds can be defined as a scrape or crack of the skin, leaving underlying tissues exposed to foreign intruders. Everyone gets a wound or injury at any point in life, and some of these wounds are minor while some are severe. Minor wounds heal on their own easily, followed by additional care to avoid infections. But larger or deeper wounds that involve severe damage to tendons, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and bones, etc. are complex to heal and require more healing time. It depends on the capability of the body's immune system to start the natural repair process. 

Because of the associated risks of not treating a wound on time, it is important to know about the wounds that can be treated at home & under professional medical assistance of Wound Care in Riverside. 

Wounds To Be Treated At Home

Minor cuts, scrapes, punctures, abrasions & all other types of open wounds that are not too much deeper than a quarter-inch can be treated with basic wound care treatment at home. 

The care & treatment include:

• Cleaning & washing the wound site with warm water & mild soap. Remove any visible debris like dirt etc. Apply pressure to stop bleeding.
• Apply an appropriate bandage or a thin layer of antibiotic ointment. 
• Follow regular care. Change the dressing & apply ointment after every cleaning. 

Wound That Need Additional Care

There are certain types of wounds that require additional medical care & attention under the supervision of Bedside Care Specialist USA. Here they are as follows:

Infected Wounds

Sometimes minor wounds can lead to an infection if not treated properly or on time. They require additional care. Symptoms of these types of infected wounds include:

• Excessive Wound Pain & Swelling - A degree of pain & swelling is normal in the process of wound healing but extreme is not good. It should be temporary and curable with traditional pain relief methods such as ibuprofen. But if the pain is unbearable or swelling continues to develop, it is time to see a wound care specialist.
• Wounds with Foul Odor & Drainage - Redness is normal in the early stage of healing but if a wound continues to release a bad odor with a significant amount of exudate, it is a matter of concern. Wounds that are accompanied by a strong foul smell & pus releasing, could be a sign of infection and requires immediate medical care.
• Warmth Around The Wound Or Increased Body Temperature - The patients may notice warmth around the wound site or they could suffer from high fever & body pain. 
• Poor Healing - Minor wounds heal quickly with traditional methods of treatment but if a wound has not healed within a significant amount of time, it requires additional medical care.

Chronic Wounds

Chronic wounds are those that don’t follow the normal stages of healing and take almost 2-3 months to properly heal. These non-healing wounds are prone to develop an infection in the bone or bloodstream, which can further lead to many other severe complications including amputation.

These chronic wounds include:

• Venous ulcer
• Pressure ulcer
• Diabetic foot ulcer
• Traumatic wounds
• Surgical wounds
• Burns & scalds 
• Infected wounds etc.

People with the following conditions are at more risk of developing chronic wounds:

• Diabetes
• Poor blood circulation 
• Vascular diseases
• Weakened immune system
• Incontinence
• Obesity 
• Nerve damage
• Congestive heart failure etc.

These types of wounds require additional wound care & treatment by Wound Care Experts. It is important to treat the wounds on time with their underlying conditions otherwise the complications can be life-threatening. The team at wound care specialist Los Angeles visits patients’ locations to examine & evaluate the wound appropriately. They could ask for a patient's past medical history and conduct some physical tests to determine the treatment including debridement, medicines, dressings and support services, etc.