Medical News

What is a pressure sore? A sore caused by pressure. Exactly! You might be wondering why I am making such a big deal about a sore!
I read somewhere that Superman’s fall was not brought about by some deadly accident or some kind of a fatal disease but in the end he succumbed to his pressure sores. Yes! I am talking about Christopher Reeves who succumbed to secondary complications caused by these pressure sores, even called bed sores or decubitus ulcers. I am sure now you are looking at this sore thing with a new set of eyes. I am thinking what you are thinking- pressure sores can be serious.

First, let me begin by telling you what pressure sores are.
A sore is an injury to skin and tissue resulting from pressure. A normal person is constantly moving around but if for some reason he is rendered immobile, say due to paralysis or is bed ridden due to debility, degeneration or some disease, then sores develop on those areas of skin that come under pressure. Prolonged immobility and infrequent change of position makes the skin susceptible to pressure sores.

So, now I will tell you a well established fact that if a person stays in the same position for too long, the pressure causes reduction in blood supply to that area. When an area is deprived of blood supply for more than a couple of hours, the skin dies. You can see the emergence of a pressure sore as a reddish coloration of skin. Later the skin breaks open and with time the wound deepens. It keeps burrowing deeper into the layers of skin and the ulcer may sometimes even reach the underlying bone. If these are left unattended, they may become infected and start discharging pus and foul smelling liquid. Not a very pleasant sight, I know.

It doesn’t take too much common sense to figure out who all are at risk of getting pressure sores. It is, of course, more prevalent in people who are bed ridden and people who spend a major amount of their time on a wheelchair like those with paralysis. Then again, people suffering from diabetes or any other circulatory disorders are more likely to get these. As age advances, skin becomes thinner and thinner thus elderly people are predisposed to it. For a change it’s good to be thick- skinned! Also, there are greater chances of under weight or mal-nourished people developing these. They have insufficient cushioning to protect their bony parts and that is where the sores develop in the first place.

The bony parts of our body are more prone to develop pressure sores. The tail bone is a high risk area, especially in a person restricted to a wheelchair. Lower back, back of heels, back and sides of skull and knees and shoulder blades are also some of the common areas where these ulcers develop.

Like in all conditions, the goal should be prevention. Needless to say, that the care of each part of our body is of utmost importance to lead a healthy life.