If your wound is not healing, it is more than likely causing you extensive pain and anxiety, and possibly putting you at risk of a serious infection. The one thing we know for sure is that you don’t want to be hospitalized because of a chronic wound. Fortunately, there are advanced treatment options available to help with the chronic wound healing process and get you back to your normal life.

What is a Chronic Wound?

Chronic wounds are those that don’t follow the normal four-step healing process:

  • Blood clotting
  • Destroying the bacteria
  • Producing new cells and tissues
  • Maturation and repair

Usually, chronic wounds will remain in the first or second stage of the healing process and never progress further.

What are the Causes of Chronic Wounds?

Usually, if a wound hasn’t healed after six weeks, some underlying condition or disorder is preventing the wound’s progress. The most common causes being:

1. Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

There is a strain of bacteria called Pseudomonas Aeruginosa that is strongly resistant to antibiotics. This bacteria can affect people with jeopardized immune systems, and it often occurs in hospital patients.

2. Foreign Debris

If you dress a wound that is not completely clean and has debris left in the wound (such as gauze), it can attract bacteria and stop the wound from healing.

3. Diabetes

Patients with diabetes have a 15-25% chance of developing a chronic wound. There are three main ways diabetes can cause such wounds:

  • High blood glucose levels can damage white blood cells, which are an essential component in killing bacteria.
  • Diabetes can affect blood circulation. If your body isn’t circulating your blood correctly, your wounds won’t receive the nutrients they need to heal.
  • If you suffer from nerve damage due to your diabetes, it will significantly impact your healing process.

4. Vascular diseases

Those with vascular disease often have decreased blood flow to their arms or legs. This leads to poor healing, as blood flow, oxygen and nutrients are necessary for wounds to heal.

5. Other common causes of chronic wounds

  • Limited mobility
  • Repeated trauma to a wound
  • Edema (swelling)

What Are Chronic Wound Treatment Options?

If you find yourself in need of chronic wound healing, you may want to consider hyperbaric oxygen therapy. HBOT involves exposing the body to 100% oxygen at considerable pressure. This will help speed up the wound’s healing process because the blood carries the extra oxygen to your injured area. And injuries need oxygen to heal.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been scientifically proven to enhance healing. Many independent studies using hyperbaric oxygen with standard wound care have observed improved healing and can significantly reduce major wound complications. The precise positive effects of hyperbaric oxygen are only beginning to be revealed and have far-reaching possibilities.

Learn more about hyperbaric oxygen therapy at R3 Wound Care & Hyperbarics today.

How Can R3 Help?

At R3 Wound Care & Hyperbarics, our primary function is chronic wound treatment – it’s what we all day every day. Each of our eight clinic locations has state-of-the-art equipment, skilled wound care specialists, and a comfortable atmosphere. You don’t even need a referral from a doctor to make an appointment or receive treatment.

If you have a chronic wound that is negatively impacting your life, please call us at 817-337-6604 or fill out our online form. We can then begin to help you get your life back.