Wound Care

When you have diabetes, an injury as small as a blister can develop into a non-healing ulcer, and other situations can also lead to stubborn non-healing wounds. At Dr. Robert Darrin Hurst, the private practice of board-certified podiatrist and foot surgeon Robert Hurst, DPM, you can get the highest standard of skilled wound care to heal your wound or ulcer. There are two offices, conveniently located in Savannah, Tennessee, and Corinth, Mississippi. Call the one in your area or book a wound care appointment online now.

What is wound care?

Wound care is specialized care for wounds that don’t heal properly. While everyone has dealt with a minor wound at home before (usually using antibiotic cream and a bandage), some wounds don’t heal normally. 

Wounds can expand, deepen, and grow infected quickly in some cases. Wound care includes unique medical approaches that stimulate the healing process.  

When do I need wound care?

If you’re not healing correctly after experiencing a wound or ulcer, you’ll likely need wound care. Common situations include:

Wounds

Wounds generally refer to breaks in the skin that result from external trauma. Some examples of this include lacerations, punctures, surgical incisions, and animal bites. 

By nature, wounds are generally considered acute or short-term, but they can progress to chronic non-healing wounds and may grow infected without the right treatment.

Ulcers

Ulcers are non-healing open sores that develop because of a problem inside the body, so they start from within rather than externally. The most common example of ulcers is diabetic foot ulcers, which can develop in people with diabetes who have poor circulation and nerve damage. 

Many people who have diabetes experience foot ulcers as well as problems like burning feet due to, respectively, circulation problems and nerve damage. Some other problems that can lead to ulcers include varicose veins and long periods of bed rest. 

If you’re healing more slowly than expected, or if you develop serious warning signs of an infected wound or ulcer, like red skin, pus drainage, swelling, pain, and bleeding, reach out for wound care help.

Are diabetic foot care and wound care the same thing?

Wound care is often one aspect of diabetic foot care. Routine diabetic foot care includes foot exams, screening tests to detect nerve and vascular damage, education, lifestyle management, and other methods of managing your disease and protecting your foot health. 

Should you develop a new wound or ulcer, you need wound care to bring on healing and avoid complications like infection, tissue death, and amputation.

What can I expect from wound care?

Treatment is tailored to your wound or ulcer, its causes, and the damage level to your skin and underlying structures. You may need: 

• Wound cleaning
• Antibiotics (topical or oral)
• Debridement: Removing dead tissue
• Wound dressing
• Orthotics

Most people with non-healing wounds or ulcers need a combination of these approaches.

Call Dr. Robert Darrin Hurst or book your wound care appointment online now.