Non-healing wounds, also known as chronic wounds, can result from various health problems, including immunodeficiency, diabetes, trauma, or malnutrition. Careful wound care, including dressing changes and cleaning, is necessary to prevent infection. Antibiotics and supplements may be prescribed to boost the immune response. In severe cases, amputation may be necessary. Signs of infection include pain, redness, warmth, throbbing, and pus. Medical treatment may be required if a wound does not heal within a week or two.
A wound that doesn’t heal is a wound that doesn’t heal despite having been given enough time to do so. These are also called chronic wounds and can appear as a result of many different types of health problems, most commonly those involving the immune system. This often leads to infections that have the potential to spread unless more extreme methods are taken. Antibiotics are often the first course of action.
The main causes of a non-healing wound can include immunodeficiency, diabetes, trauma to the area, or malnutrition. Many of these can be resolved and the immune response will kick in, healing the wound. Other times a non-healing wound is caused by a chronic condition and extra care should be taken to ensure that the infection does not take hold and spread.
There are several types of non-healing wounds, some of which are much more common than others. A fairly well-known type is the diabetic foot ulcer, usually due to the reduced immune response of many diabetic patients and the resulting infection. Other ulcers can cause similar consequences, as can wounds resulting from severe trauma such as that which can occur after a car accident or puncture wound.
Caring for a non-healing wound should be meticulous and include keeping a clean, dry dressing on the wound at all times. Dressings should be changed several times a day and should be made of a soft, tight enough fabric to prevent foreign bodies from entering the wound site. If the immune system is responsible for the chronic inability to heal, supplements and antibiotics may be given to help prevent infection and boost the body’s immune response.
Cleaning the wound is also important to kill any bacteria that may have settled at the entrance to the sore. This can be done with a variety of antiseptic cleaners. If the infection has already begun to spread, antibiotics may be given intravenously.
In some rare cases, amputation may be necessary to save healthy tissue from widespread infection. This is only reserved for the most serious circumstances, as there are risks associated with surgery and the consequences of removing a limb or body part can be drastic. Particular attention should also be paid to the amputation site because the risk of a recurrent infection may still be present.
Signs of infection in any wound include severe pain at the site, redness, throbbing, a warm sensation in the wound itself and the surrounding skin, and pus. If a wound has not healed adequately within a week or two, depending on the severity of the wound, medical treatment may be required. Very deep or large injuries often require stitches and may not heal properly without them, even without other health complications.
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