Wounds & Injuries

Ultrasound-assisted wound, or UAW, therapy is a relatively new method of treating deep wounds, including bedsores, diabetic ulcers and other injuries that are infected, have impaired circulation...

Tissue granulation in a wound bed is a positive sign because it indicates the wound is healing. Healthy granulation tissue is shiny, bleeds easily and appears beefy-red or deep pink. The surface...

Examination of the wound margin is a necessary part of any wound assessment. Wound margins vary greatly in size and shape. An examination of the wound margin is performed at regular intervals by a...

Pressure wounds, also known as pressure sores or bedsores, are ulcerous patches of skin and tissue that form when sustained pressure cuts off blood flow to that part of the body. Without blood,...

A hernia occurs when a portion of the intestine bursts through the abdominal wall. In a femoral, or leg, hernia, the protrusion appears just below the crease of the groin.

Serious injury to the body and surgery can leave people with internal scars. These scars can affect other parts of the body and can re-open. Pregnant women have been known to hemorrhage from their...

Leg ulcers are open sores on the leg which can result from conditions such as varicose veins or being immobilized for prolonged periods of time (e.g., someone who is confined to a wheelchair or...

Debridement is the removal of dead tissue in or around a wound to enhance healing, reduce infection and control odor. In chemical debridement, a cross-hatching technique is employed to further...

Epithelialization is the natural act of healing dermal and epidermal tissue in which epithelium grows over a wound. Epithelium is a membranous tissue made up of one or more layers of cells that...

Wounds are assessed at regular intervals to ensure the wound heals correctly and to rule out infection. Wound assessment techniques depend on the location, size and depth of the wound as well as...

Sharp debridement is a minor surgical procedure performed to assist wound healing. It eliminates dead tissue to promote healing, manage infection and control odor.

Odor emanating from a wound is caused by tissue death and the decay of that tissue. Decay of tissue causes compounds such as cadaverine, putrecine, and sulphorous compounds to be released.

Mechanical cleansing, also known as mechanical debridement, is one of the oldest and simplest forms of wound care techniques still used to treat pressure ulcers (bedsores), burns and surgical...

Debridement is the removal of dead tissue from a wound in order to reduce the chances of infection and promote a faster healing process. Of the four major types of debridement, two in particular...

Wounds are debrided to speed up the healing process. Burns, pressure ulcers and other types of wounds are debrided to remove dead and decaying tissue. These tissues can harbor bacteria, which can...

Bed sores are also known as pressure sores or pressure ulcers. They occur when part of the body is robbed of adequate circulation, which can result in tissue loss and bone and joint damage if not...

Whether because of a condition that affects circulation (such as diabetes) or another skin condition, sometimes wounds will not heal without medical intervention. One of the manners in which...

A mastectomy is the surgical removal of breast tissue (sometimes the entire breast) to treat a medical condition, usually cancer. For women, a mastectomy can be a frightening experience, since the...

According to "Fundamental Nursing Skills and Concepts" by Barbara Kuhn Timby, debridement is when dead tissue is removed from a wound to promote healing. While most wounds heal on their own,...

Gangrene is caused when a section of the body loses blood supply and decays, eventually resulting in cellular death. Gangrene is often associated with a wound or injury. There are several types of...

Old scars are embarrassing and can make you very self-conscious about your appearance. Many adults still carry scars that they acquired during their youth. These scars were easy to get but are...

Pressure ulcers, more commonly known as bed sores, develop on areas of a person's body where prolonged pressure cuts off circulation. They are most prevalent on the buttocks, hips and heels....

Bruises come from the layer under the upper skin being traumatized and the tissue being torn with dark discoloration. Bruises are not always easy to get rid of. They usually become a nuisance when...

Computer users often encounter neck and shoulder injuries from poor sitting posture or improper ergonomics. Repetitious arm and hand motions for mouse clicking and key strokes can cause...

Debridement is the removal of waste (exudate), infectious matter and dead tissue from wounds. Debridement may be done to prepare a wound for the application of specialty healing aids or simply to...

Injuries are far too common for most people. At some point in most of our lives, we will receive a wound. Whether major or minor, any injury that tears flesh is not only painful, but dangerous....

Gangrene is the decay and death of bodily tissue because of a lack of blood flow. Blood flow may be cut off by a vascular disease, infection, or injury. It is most common in the extremities, like...

Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain, specifically in runners or other individuals who must be on their feet for long periods of time. Once plantar fasciitis sets in, it is relatively...

Most people who have abdominal adhesions never know that the scar tissue is there. Those who do have symptoms caused by adhesions often experience chronic pain. Because there is no reliably...

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a member of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) family and is naturally present in our body. It is located within our cartilage, connective tissue, joint fluid and skin. Hyaluronic...

Gangrene refers to dead or dying tissue and is known by two major types: wet and dry. A variant of wet gangrene is called internal or gas gangrene. Dry gangrene progresses slowly and normally...

Staging a pressure ulcer can be quite complicated. There are some simple principles that will make your life easier. There are four standard stages, as well as unstageable and deep tissue injury.

The hamstring runs along the back of the leg and consists of a large group of three muscles. Hamstring injuries can vary from being minor to severe, as in some cases the muscle could rupture....

Wound healing is a very complicated process, as the body needs to not only close up the wound and clean out any debris and dead tissue, it then needs to fill in areas where tissue was lost and...

Ultrasound therapy is a form of physical therapy. It is used to help alleviate joint and muscle aches, pain and other soft tissue injuries. Ultrasound waves are high frequency sound waves that are...

Foot ulcers are sores or breaks in the skin that typically occur on the ball of the foot. They are most common in people with poorly managed diabetes, but they may affect anyone of any age and...

This article will briefly describe how to suture a minor laceration of the skin. FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

Scar tissue results from damage to skin or organs. In its attempt to repair itself, the body covers wounds in a thicker, more fibrous layer than normal skin. It is effective as a protective...

Frostbite results from the freezing of tissue in extreme cold temperatures. It frequently occurs in mountaineers, soldiers and the homeless. Frostbite is the most severe form of the cold-induced...

Bruises are caused by damage to tissue, usually a blunt injury in the area, under the skin that allows blood to leak from the capillaries into the surrounding tissue. Bruises, also called...

Scars are often the result when the skin sustains some type of injury. They can be caused by something as small as a scratch or something as large a surgical incision. In fact, scarring is part of...

Sprains, strains and muscle tears are all acute soft tissue injuries. They are seldom life-threatening, but if treated incorrectly they can jeopardize a sports career or cause chronic problems for...

Scars. It's the body's natural internal band-aid. Scars form when there is injury to soft tissue and/or skin. Scars can vary in severity, color, form, height, and duration. They have these...