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Health is one of those factors that have no perfect stability to it. You could be fit one day and rushed to the hospital the next. Bedsores are one of the common side effects visible when a patient is bed ridden for an extended period of time. Finding effective treatment for bedsores is actually important to keep one in their best possible health.
Also often known as Pressure sores, these can not just be painful but can end up affecting your overall health, in terms of the possible infections that you are subjecting your body to. It is always best suggested to keep the possible remedies known to help heal the condition from within.
By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of the best ways to treat pressure sores before it gets worse or turns into something incurable.
What Are Bedsores?
Bedsores, which is also alternatively known as pressure sores and decubitus ulcers are the injuries and scabs which are experienced on the skin along with the underlying tissue because of the persistent pressure on the skin.
The condition is often common in people who are bed ridden for an extended period of time.
These pressure sores are often witnessed in the spot on the skin which is majorly exposed onto the bony areas on the skin, especially around the heels, ankles, hips and the tailbone.
As mentioned before, people who have medical conditions that restrict their movement are at the most risk of developing the bedsores because of the prolonged pressure that is exerted on the skin and the underlying tissue.
What Are The Stages Of Bedsores?
Much like any other form of ulcer or sores, even the bedsores get worse over time. The condition isn’t technically something which is worse right off the bat. It gets worse over time.
Typically, in medical terms, the condition has been designated to be under 4 significant stages, following which is gets worse all along.
If you have been struggling to find an effective way to manage the condition, it is important that you do pay attention to it in the initial stages itself, rather than letting it string on to the severe stages.
The four stages of bedsores include:
Stage 1
The stage 1 of the bedsores or the pressure sores are the mildest of them all. In this stage, the sores only affect the upper layer of skin and don’t make the condition worse altogether.
What will you notice?
If you are just suffering from the first stage, chances are that you won’t witness drastic changes to the skin and just simple appearance of the sores starting to form causing pain, itching and irritation. Additionally, the area around the affected part is also often a lot different to touch. It could be softer and even warm in comparison to the rest of the skin.
Additionally, the redness on the skin is quite common as well. Pressing the spot doesn’t promote discolouration of the skin even when you are pressing on it for 10-30 minutes which means that less blood is circulation to the spot.
Stage 2
The next stage is when the bedsore seeps deeper into the skin layers, surpassing the superficial layers of the skin. The area affected does become painful to touch and can even form blisters depending on how long the position hasn’t been changed of the person.
What will you notice?
This stage is marked by the breaking of the layer of skin, thus causing blisters which often resembled like a pus pocket in the affected area. It resembles like an open would with fluid seeping out of the area of the sore.
It can also often inflict inflammation around the affected area, thus causing clear of pus filled fluid to ooze out of the wound. Additionally this stage is quite painful and needs immediate treatment for better recovery.
Stage 3
The third stage of the pressures sores is the condition which is characterized by the sore or the ulcer digging through the second layer of the skin, inflicting into the fat tissue. These are the penultimate stage which requires immediate attention for ensuring faster recovery from it.
What will you notice?
The stage of the bedsores is when the blisters turn into proper wounds, making the sores resembled that of a crater. Apart from fluid oozing out of the spot, you might also witness a very bad odour coming out of it.
Given that it is such an advanced stage of the condition, you are bound to witness signs of infection around the affected area, mainly which of redness, blisters and even being filled with pus and the infected fluid. You might also witness the area around to have deposition of black tissue if the tissues and the cells around that spot have died.
Stage 4
The last stage of the condition is when the bedsores or the pressure sores have reached the worst possible fate of it. This is the most serious stage out of all of them and can even affect the muscles and the ligaments of an individual around the affected area.
What will you notice?
The wound around the sore is huge; spread out and very deep, penetration deep into the layers of the skin and then the fat layers too. The possibility of a spread out infection around the spot is very common which results in the redness, fluid discharge and inflammation and pain.
The sore runs so much deeper into the skin and the subsequent layers that chances are that you might even be able to see the muscles and the tendons inside the skin.
These wounds should be prevented at all costs because the consequences are quite drastic and can even affect one’s quality of life for the worse.
What Are The Causes Of Bedsores?
You wouldn’t technically realize this but the bedsores are inflicted when a person is immobile for an extended period of time.
There is not much to the causes except for being on the side of the body for a prolonged period of time without any kind of movement around in the body. This is what ends up causing the condition altogether.
How To Treat Bedsores?
When it comes to the remedies for bedsores, there are not many that you can administer which is why doctors suggest to opt for ways to prevent this condition rather than waiting for it to get worse over time.
Still, to aid with the treatment of bedsores at home, we are going to list out some of the best remedies that works like magic in helping heal the sores and the wounds that affect the skin.
1-Honey
The impacts of honey in skin healing are not folklore. People have been using this for years now and the same is quite effective in the process of healing as well.
Honey has been found to have effective antimicrobial (R) and antiseptic (R) properties which do come a lot in handy in helping prevent further spreading of the infection and even helps in healing the skin from within.
This is perfect for the treatment for bedsores if it is in the initial stages. It has also been found to have effective remedies in preventing the itching, pain and the inflammation around the affected area.
What to do?
- Use clean banana leaves and spread a thick layer of honey over it
- Lay them down on the bed you are lying on
- Lie down over the banana leaves for a few hours
- Remove the leaf after a few hours
- Rinse the area with some warm water to get rid of the rest of the honey
How often?
- Do it once daily
Read: Honey For Glowing Skin – 11 Tricks To Bring Out The Inner Glow
2-Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is yet another potent remedy to care for bedsores effectively. The combination of the healing, antimicrobial (R) as well as the anti-inflammatory (R) properties in it comes in handy for the treatment of the condition of the pressures for the better.
The cooling and the soothing properties of the aloe vera further helps in relieving the pain, irritation as well as the burning sensation which is quite common in this condition. It is one of the best remedies for faster relief.
What to do?
- Apply a thick layer of the aloe vera gel on the affected area
- Leave it on and let it seep into the skin
How often?
- 2-3 times daily till the condition becomes better
Read: 35 Benefits of Aloe Vera Every Person Should Be Aware Of
3-Consume a Vitamin rich diet
If you want to ensure a speedy recovery of the sores from within, it is important that you supplementing the body with the necessary nutrients in your diet. Vitamins can help a lot in recovery of the skin and the wounds that have been getting worse over time.
It is always best suggested to stick to a diet rich in foods with Vitamin A, C and E because the same has been found to have beneficial impacts in boosting the recovery process even more so.
What to do?
- Consume a diet rich in Vitamins especially Vitamin A, C and E
- If possible, apply Vitamin E oil on the skin that is subjected to the constant pressure
How often?
- Do this daily till the sores are treated
4-Shift positions
Yet another one of the best ways to treat pressure sores is by ensuring that you make the patient shift their position on the bed frequently. This does help out a lot in relieving the constant pressure on the back or the side that is exposed to constant pressure.
Shifting positions helps relieve the pressure which prevents the advent of the sores in the first place and even prevents it from getting worse if it has already affected the skin
5-Turmeric
Turmeric is yet another treatment for bedsores which imposes effective results in the recovery. Owing to the fact that turmeric has beneficial antiseptic (R) anti-inflammatory (R) as well as healing properties (R) on the skin and the wounds, it does impose amazing impacts in helping boost the recovery process even more so.
The active compound in turmeric, Curcumin, is what imposes all these beneficial impacts in helping in the recovery of the sores affecting the skin.
What to do?
First process
- Clean the area of the wound with some warm saline solution
- Apply some turmeric powder on the wound to cover it completely
- Cover the area with a bandage
- Leave it one for a few hours
Second process
- Boil some milk in a pot
- Add 1/4th tsp of turmeric powder
- Drink the turmeric milk every day before bed at night
How often?
- For the first process, repeat it every 6-7 hours
Read: 11 Skin Benefits Of Turmeric – Get The Natural Glow On
6-Myrrh Essential Oil
The combination of myrrh essential oil with turmeric has been suggested as one of the best remedies for the treatment of bedsores at home. The beneficial properties of the essential oil suggests that it not just boost the immunity of an individual but also helps in ensuring that the wound heals faster.
It has also been found to have beneficial impacts in getting rid of the toxins for good which is an added bonus all the more.
What to do?
- In a bowl, add 1 tbsp of turmeric powder and add a few drops of the myrrh essential oil to it
- Mix well
- Clean the area of the bedsore with some saline solution
- Apply the turmeric and myrrh oil mix
- Cover the area with a bandage
- Leave it one for a few hours
How often?
- Change the bandage every 6-7 hours
7-Papaya
The “milk” from the raw papaya which is the stick white substance that you get when you cut open a raw papaya can be very effective in helping get rid of the pressure sores completely.
Even though it is still unclear as to what it is that helps in healing this condition, it is believed that it helps in getting rid of the dead skin cells to help boost the recovery process for the better.
What to do?
- Cut open a raw papaya and extract the “milk” from it
- Apply the same on the affected wounds and sores
- Cover with a bandage
- Leave it on for a few hours
How often?
- Keep changing the bandage every 6 hours and continue doing it till the dead skin falls off
Read: 10 Incredible Health Benefits Of Papaya Leaf Extract
8-Use Saline Water
One of the best ways to care for bedsores is to use saline water for keeping the area disinfected altogether.
Saline water imposes antiseptic and healing properties on the wound, thus promoting the healing faster which further helps in getting rid of the condition even faster without any issues. Keeping the area with saline solution also helps ensure that you don’t have to struggle with the overdoing of the infection which can spread and make the condition worse.
What to do?
- You can either buy readymade saline solution from the market or make you own at home
- Using a spray bottle, apply the saline solution on the wound
- Clean the area with the same and rinse with some water to keep the area clean
How often?
- Multiple times throughout the day
Read: 7 Things That Happen When You Drink Salt Water
9-Coconut Oil
Coconut oil doesn’t require any introduction when it comes to its healing properties. The medium chain fatty acids in the coconut oil have been found to be quite beneficial in helping in the healing process of the wound and the area affected around.
Not just that, massaging the area around with coconut oil has also been found to have beneficial impacts in helping boost the blood circulation around thus further promoting better recovery from the condition.
It also possesses antimicrobial (R) and anti-inflammatory and analgesic (R) properties which help in preventing the inflammation and pain as well as the spread of the infection around the area, thus healing it further.
What to do?
- Warm up some coconut oil
- Apply the oil directly on the sore and massage around the affected area too
- Leave the oil to seep into the skin
How often?
- Multiple times throughout the day
Read: How to Use Coconut Oil for Wrinkles Treatment
10-Beetroot
Not many people would realize this but beetroot is actually quite effective in treating the condition of bedsores for the better. Even though there is not much scientific evidence to back up why the same happens, it is believed that the application of the same helps in get rid of the itchiness and irritation that many often tend to be struggling with.
Often times, doctors suggest pairing the beetroot with the honey for better impacts on healing the skin from within.
What to do?
- Blend in some beetroot in a blender to make a smooth paste
- Add 1 tbsp of honey to the paste
- Apply a thick layer of the mixture on the affected area
- Cover it with a bandage
- Leave it on for a few hours then remove and clean it completely
How often?
- Do this daily till the sores heal completely
Read: Do Not Miss These Incredible Health Benefits Of Beetroot
11-Sugar
Yet another one of the best ways of treatment for bedsores is with sugar. As absurd it might sound, it has been an effective form of treatment for quite a long time now. Even this does require proper studies to explain its mechanism of healing.
Although, people believe that sugar helps in drawing in the excess water which further helps in healing the condition from within. It has also been found to help promote the growth of the new tissues around the affected area.
It has also been found to dehydrate the area to prevent the spreading and proliferation of the infection which further promotes the recovery process even more so.
What to do?
- Use some granulated sugar and stuff the same on the wound
- Leave it in for a few hours
- Thoroughly was the area after it’s done
How often?
- Every day till the wound is healed completely
Read: Ketone Monoester Drinks Could Help Regular Blood Sugar
12-Comfrey leaves
Comfrey leaves are also quite effective in helping care for bedsores for faster recovery altogether. It is one of the best forms of alternative medicine that does work in the healing process altogether.
Both the roots as well as the leaves of the comfrey leaves have been found to have beneficial impacts in helping boost the recovery process of the wound and the pressure sore.
What to do?
- Make a paste of the comfrey leaf into a fine paste
- Apply a thick layer of the paste on the wound
- Leave it on for a few hours
- Wash it off and rinse the area thoroughly
How often?
- Do this daily till the sore heals completely
13-Keep yourself hydrated
One of the best ways to help rehydrate the body is by ensuring that you keep your body hydrated through the time. It is always best suggested to ensure that you drink good amount of water through the day to prevent any kind of dehydration that could make the recovery process worse.
It is best suggested to ensure that you do keep an eye out on the level of water you are consuming throughout the day.
Read: 10 Ultimate Ways to Increase Water Intake for Healthier Well Being
How Long Does It Take To Heal Bed Sores?
When it comes to the healing process, it is quite dependent on the stage of the bed sore that you are stuck in. It is all best suggested to ensure that you stick to the general process and don’t rush through it at all.
| Stages of the Pressure Sore | Recovery Time |
| Stage – 1 | 2-3 days |
| Stage – 2 | 3 days to 3 weeks |
| Stage – 3 | 1 month to 4 months |
| Stage – 4 | 3 months or longer |
How To Prevent Bedsores?
Owing to the fact that bedsores affect only the patients who are lying or on the same side of the body for a prolonged period of time, there are some effective ways in which you can easily prevent this condition from getting worse as such.
Some of the measures for prevention of pressure sores include:
- Move and shift your positions frequently
- Ensure to always maintain skin hygiene and keep the area dry and cleaned completely
- Use pillows to elevate your body so as to relieve the pressure from time to time
- If possible, with the help of the doctor, do some motion exercises too
- Prevent drinking of coffee and the associated that can make the condition worse
Treatment for bedsores are extensive but it is always important to alert yourself in the early stages itself to ensure that you are able to handle it before it gets worse. If you wish to keep an eye out on the recovery, we have suggested along some of the best remedies that can definitely come a lot in handy for you.
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