10 Ways to Relieve Pressure Sores that You Did Not Know Before

Pressure sores, also known as bed sores and decubitus ulcers are very common in nearly all sorts of people. They are most commonly found in people who are on bed rest and people on wheelchairs. Pressure sores develop when the skin develops a lesion that fails to heal and the area around it becomes inflamed.

Pressure sores occur when there is pressure on the skin and other tissues but there are other causes to them as well such as:

• Having skin fold over itself when sitting or lying down
• Friction over the skin
• Excessive contact with sweat or urine.

If you have developed pressure sores or know someone who has, you can make use of these methods to relieve them:

Change Your Position as Often as Possible

Pressure will develop on your skin if you stay in one position for a long time. If you see wounds developing in your skin, that I especially the time to start moving around as much as possible. If it is not possible for you to move by yourself, ask for assistance from your loved ones. 

Get a Specialized Mattress

You can get your hands on a gel mattress or an alternating pressure mattress to help with bedsores. An alternating pressure mattress consists of air cells that inflate alternatively to distribute pressure to a different areas of your body. A gel mattress more or less serves the same purpose but you have to move around on your own in a gel mattress quite often.

If you cannot get a specialized mattress then just changing your old, worn-out mattress will also have a huge impact on your pressure sores. 

Use Home Remedies

There are hundreds of home remedies out there for relieving bed sores. You can try out these widely tested ones:

• Use a honey and sugar mixture. Apply it to the sore and keep it covered. Honey has natural antiseptic properties and it can relieve itching and reduce chances of infection.
• Turmeric is also a widely approved antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent. You can apply turmeric and sterile water paste to the affected area and keep it covered as well.
• You can also massage the affected area with coconut oil which locks moisture in the skin and prevents external agents from irritating the sores.

Care for the Wound

Make sure you do not let the wound get dirty or infected. Wash it as often as possible with mild soap, do not use any harsh chemicals or disinfectants on the affected area. After washing the wound, apply medicated moisturizer to restore any essential oils that the area has been stripped off of. 

Keep The Sores Covered

Use a specialized dressing for your sores, nothing that is iodine-based or consists of hydrogen peroxide. After dressing the sore, keep is covered with clean gauze and bandage. 

Avoid Irritating the Wound Further

One of the most debilitating things for bed sores is friction. Make sure your wound is not irritated by any sort of friction, even light friction from bedsheets. You can sprinkle baby powder or corn starch on your sheets to ensure that your skin does not experience any friction there.

Also, avoid slipping and sliding into any position since it can greatly damage your skin.

Be extra careful when shifting into new positions. If your sore is in a precarious area then ask for assistance from your loved ones. 

Keep Your Skin Moisturized

Moisturizing your skin is imperative when it comes to relieving your pressure sores. Use a medicated moisturizer or better yet, ask a dermatologist to prescribe one for you. Do not use any harsh chemicals on the affected area since they will strip your skin off of any remaining essential oils. 

Take a Proper Diet

Take nutritious foods every day in your diet so you can heal faster. Foods that will strengthen your immune system, like fatty fish and olive oil are extremely important. Avoid any food with preservatives, too much sugar, and other such ingredients. While healthy food will strengthen your immune system and help you heal faster, unhealthy food with severely hamper your healing process.

Lose Weight

Obese people are much more likely to developing pressure sores than their skinnier counterparts. One of the reasons for this is that obese people often have skin folds and their skin slides over itself and traps in sweat, it becomes very susceptible to pressure sores.

So if you are in the obese category, it might be time to start your weight loss journey. 

Do Light Exercises

Exercising helps regulate blood circulation around the body. Optimal blood circulation can help in strengthening your immune system. This will help in promoting the healing of your pressure wound. Again, make sure you don’t put your body under a lot of stress while exercising.