Bed Sores – What to Look For

You know we use a lot of legal and medical terms as trial lawyers, but I wanted to briefly discuss the basic parameters of what a bed sore is and what to look for. For all those who have loved ones in Oklahoma Nursing Homes, I challenge you to constantly visit and monitor those who are bed ridden or do not change positions for a long period of time. I truly hope you never have to contact a Oklahoma nusring home abuse lawyer, but if you do,take pictures of what I’m about to describe.

Bed sores are also known as decubitus ulcers or pressure sores. When there is continuous pressure on any part of the body and the pressure is not relieved periodically, then the tissues and skin in that particular area break down and this results in a sore. The term bed sore is used because such sores typically occur in people who are bed ridden for long periods of time and do not change their position in bed often.

In the initial stage the sore area turns red, which is an indication of mild bed sores. If the patient is not treated properly, or if left in the same position for longer, then the mild bed sores start to worsen. The reddening of the skin gives way to breaks and tears on the surface of the skin. Severe cases of bed sores have often left the muscles, internal tissue, and sometimes even the bones of the patients open to the naked eye.

Bed sores can occur anywhere on the body, but the areas most prone to bed sores are those where the bones are closer to the surface of the skin. For instance, the hips, elbows, ankles, back, shoulder, and behind the head; these areas are more likely to result in bed sores than other parts of the body.