Causes of Bed Sores | What Causes Pressure Sores

Causes of Bed Sores | What Causes Pressure Sores









Bed Sores Causes:
People who are immobilized because of injuries, paralysis, or illness are those that often experience bed sores. Below are the common causes of the occurrence of these sores on patients:

• Sustained pressure on areas of the body. In cases when your skin and its underlying tissues are trapped between such surfaces as beds or wheelchairs and your bone, there is usually a restriction of the blood. Because this results in the deprivation of nutrients and oxygen among the tissues, damage, or even death of these tissues can happen. This usually occurs in areas that are not well padded with fats or muscles.
  
  
  There are also cases when the pressure cutting off circulation could come from very unlikely sources and these include crumbs found on the bed, the thick seams and rivets of jeans, wrinkles from sheets or clothing, and even perspiration, which could moisten the skin.


• Friction: If you don’t want to get sores, then you need to shift your position frequently. However, there are also cases when the friction that happens when you move from side to side can already bring damage to your skin, leading to pressure sores.


• Shear: This happens when your skin and its underlying bones move in different directions.
  
  
  Raising the head of your bed by more than 30 degrees or sliding down from a chair or your bed are likely causes of shearing. Shearing is actually the stretching and tearing of the tiny blood vessels and the cell walls. The areas most affected by this are those that have fragile and thin skin like the tailbone.

Bed Sores Disease Symptoms | Signs of Pressure Sore Ailment

Bed Sores Disease Symptoms | Signs of Pressure Sore Ailment









Bed sores are among the most common complications that affect patients who are bedridden or those who use wheelchairs for very long periods of time. It is more common in aged patients although anyone can be affected as long as they are staying in the same position for hours. Also, because most patients have become thin, there is less or no more cushioning by muscles and fats of the cartilaginous or bony areas in the body. Thus, there is a higher likelihood of the patient experiencing bed sores.

Bed sores are medically termed as decubitus ulcers or pressure ulcers.


Friction and pressure against the surface of the bed or wheelchair are the main reasons why bed sores occur. Still, the condition is aggravated by other factors, including humidity, moisture, and temperature of the surroundings.

Bed Sores Signs

Knowing the causes of bed sores is not enough if the individual wants to make sure that the patient won’t experience them. It is also imperative that one knows of its signs and symptoms so that he or she would know what to look out for.

Here are some of the more common symptoms of bed sores:

• Discoloration of the skin


• Lesions or tearing on the skin, especially on bony areas


• Signs of infection like bad odor, skin moistness, swelling, and formation of pus

The severity of bed sores can actually be diagnosed by four stages.


Each stage comes with its own set of symptoms. Below are the different stages and their corresponding symptoms:

• Stage 1. The skin could have a red mark that does not go away even when the patient was already turned. The redness can be noticed on the intact skin which could have a firm texture. The mark could also be reddish or bluish in some patients. The affected area may also be hot. When pressed, these reddened skin areas won’t turn white.


• Stage 2. Shallow abrasion at the dermis level. In this stage, there is a slight breaking down of the skin, giving the appearance of blisters or abrasions.


• Stage 3. A hollow wound that may seem smaller at the surface but larger underneath the skin. Extends to the subcutaneous tissue layer.


• Stage 4. Hollow wound larger than in Stage 3 but may still appear to be a small wound at the surface. Extends to the tendons, bones, or muscles. The risk of infection and tissue death is also high during this stage.


• Unstageable. Lots of dead cells so that size is difficult to determine.

Preventing Bed Sores Disease | How to Prevent Pressure Sores

Preventing Bed Sores Disease | How to Prevent Pressure Sores









Bed Sores Prevention Measures:
Although there are a number of medical treatments and home remedies for bed sores, it is still best if its formation on the body can be prevented. This will save a patient a lot of pain and discomfort.

So here are just some of the things that you can do to prevent bed sores, either on yourself or a loved one:

• Avoid continuous pressure on just one area of the body by regularly changing positions after every two hours at the minimum.


• The use of a ripple bed or a ripple mattress could work at effecting blood circulation all throughout the whole body.
  
  
  


• The skin should be kept dry and clean at all times for preventing pressure sores.


• Body massage or physiotherapy also helps in exercising parts of the body.


• Changing of positions can be aided through the use of cushions, air mattresses, pillows, and other forms of support.


• A well-balanced diet laden with extra proteins should be maintained for the development of healthy tissues.


• You should ensure the use of dry and clean linens all the time.


• Soft padding in beds and wheelchairs should be provided for the reduction of pressure on the skin and underlying tissues.

Natural Remedies For Bed Sores: Aloe Vera & Honey For Bedsore Treatment

Natural Remedies For Bed Sores: Aloe Vera & Honey For Bedsore Treatment









What Are Bed Sores

Bed sores are lesions that are often seen in elderly patients or bedridden patients. This condition is so named because it is often experienced by patients who are lying with the same position for several hours. It often affect areas that are most exposed to friction on the sheets. Often, areas where pressure is unrelieved are the ones that easily develop bed sores. Some of these areas are the ankles, sacrum, and elbows.

Although bed sores may start out as simple sores, these could easily progress to become ulcers.


This is especially the case when treatment is not provided immediately. Advanced cases of bed sores can be fatal to the patient, especially because the patient is already weak and frail in the first place.

Thus, it is quite important to make sure that the patient is treated as soon as possible. Also, the conditions around the patient should be improved. For instance, bed sores are aggravated by high temperatures and humidity. Thus, these should be avoided at all costs to ensure the patient’s faster recovery.

Natural Cures For Bed Sores

Here are a number of home remedies that are very effective against bedsores:

• A mixture of turmeric powder and water is good for washing bedsores clean.
  
  
  Turmeric root mixed with witch hazel is also good for this. After washing, just make sure to wipe the wound dry using a cotton cloth.


• Equal amounts of comfrey and slippery elm leaves made into a paste offers relief from bed sores. This paste could be applied on the bed sore directly or it can be placed in a clean, soft cloth and tied on the sore.


• Soft massage, which could bring about an improved blood circulation to the skin, is very helpful for the prevention of the formation of sores. Vitamin E could be used as massage oil so that the expansion of bed sores can be prevented.


• Calendula is also another known remedy for bed sores. It can be applied directly on the sore or used as a cream to heal these sores.

Aloe Vera And Honey For Bedsores

• Apply aloe vera or pure wheat germ oil as it is on the sore. These items can also be found as main ingredients in some creams. These creams can be used on the sore.


• Washing a bedsore using honey and then applying a sugar poultice help in getting rid of the infection from the wound.

Bed Sores Diet Treatment | Foods to Avoid Pressure Sores

Bed Sores Diet Treatment | Foods to Avoid Pressure Sores









Bed Sores Diet:
Maintaining a healthy diet is very essential in preventing the breaking down of skin and in helping the healing of wounds. As such, it is very important to observe proper nutrition among patients who are likely to develop bed sores.

Here are a number of nutrition tips for bed sores that can help:

• Try eating small meals if you feel full already after eating just a few mouthfuls. Take in these small meals at more frequent intervals, especially during those times when you have the urge to eat. However, try to eat on a schedule if you can.
  
  
  


• As liquids can make you feel full, you need to limit fluid intake during meals. However, you should not limit your overall intake of water during the whole day because this keeps the skin supple and soft.


• If you don’t feel like eating meats, taking in other high-protein foods like peanut butter, cottage cheese, custards, and yogurt would do wonders.


• If you find it difficult to swallow, you could focus on taking in pureed goods, soups or supplemental drinks. These provide much calories and protein but do not require too much preparation.


• Take your time in eating your meals.
  
  
  Chewing your food properly enables the easier breakdown of food in your stomach thus effecting towards the faster absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream.

Bed Wetting Causes | What Causes Bedwetting in Adults and Children

Bed Wetting Causes | What Causes Bedwetting in Adults and Children









What are the causes of bedwetting and why do children (and sometimes adults) wet their bed at night while they are asleep? Here are some possible reasons and causes why nocturnal enuresis occurs:

• There are actually two types of bedwetting problems that children can experience. These are called primary and secondary nocturnal enuresis.


• Primary nocturnal enuresis is basically the kind of bedwetting that has not yet stopped or where the child hasn’t experienced a night where he has ever been dry in bed.
  
  
  


• Secondary nocturnal enuresis is the kind of bedwetting situation where the child has already been going through nights of dryness but has returned to bedwetting. The problem can only be called secondary bedwetting when at least six months of dryness has already been experienced by the child.


• Primary bedwetting is usually caused by the child’s inability to hold urine all through the night, does not wake up when they feel their bladder is full, or that the child has rather poor toilet habits during the day.
  
  
  


• Secondary bedwetting can actually point to a few possible ailments, and these ailments may include urinary tract infection, diabetes, neurological problems like nervous system abnormalities, and even emotional problems.


• Secondary bedwetting can also indicate that the person may have abnormalities in their muscles, nerves, or organs that are involved when it comes to urination.

Bed Wetting Symptoms | Signs of Bed Wetting In Adults and Children

Bed Wetting Symptoms | Signs of Bed Wetting In Adults and Children









What are the indications of a child or an adult having problems with nocturnal enuresis? There are a number of symptoms that do tell you when a person has problems with bedwetting. Here are some of these symptoms:

• The main symptom of bedwetting is when a child or an adult wets their bed involuntarily while they are asleep or in bed. This usually happens at night.


• If bedwetting is more than just a problem with bladder control, there are other symptoms that will indicate otherwise.
  
  
  Some of the symptoms that may indicate that there is more to the bedwetting problem include feeling a burning sensation when urinating.


• When the urine that is being passed is pinkish or cloudy or if there are some bloodstains on a child’s or adult’s pajamas or underwear after they wet themselves and their bed, there may be more than just a bedwetting problem to take care of.
  
  
  


• When wetting oneself is no longer done at night only but extends into the day, this bedwetting problem may be more than just simple bladder control issues.


• Sometimes problem with bowel control accompanies these bedwetting problems, and you may find that the child or the adult in question suffers from fecal incontinence as well. This may also indicate a bigger problem that goes beyond simple bedwetting.