THE WOUND IS CLOSED... NOW WHAT?

The closure of a wound, especially a diabetic wound, does not define the endpoint of treatment. Chronic wounds are usually a sign of a wider systemic disease and in some cases after patients are discharged from wound care centers/hospitals they are at risk for treatment failure, reoccurence of the wound and worsening scenarios.

Distal symmetric polyneuropathy is the most common complication that affects the foot in diabetes. When small nerve fibers are affects this can lead to pain and paresthesia. When large nerve fibers are affected it can lead to numbness and loss of protective sensation - it can even lead to Charcot, gait instability and falls. Having loss of protection especially if your foot is structurally not sound with foot deformities, limited range of motion of weight bearing joints and bony prominences can lead to friction, shearing and direct pressure forces.

It is important for diabetics to have continuous care even after their wounds are closed to offload high pressure regions to prevent wound reoccurence.

Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News