When a Wound Won’t Heal

Jason Boudreau, DPM, CWS, FACFAS, Podiatrist and Surgeon

Posted: April 1, 2008

The body has the amazing ability to heal itself. But when the body fails to heal a wound or skin ulceration, there may be other issues affecting the healing process. Over 5 million Americans live with chronic wounds resulting from complications related to diabetes, pressure ulcers, circulatory problems and traumatic injuries.

Usually if a wound is not improving or getting significantly smaller after four weeks, you need to see a wound care specialist.

Columbia St. Mary’s Wound Healing Centers specializes in treating foot ulcerations caused from diabetes, but offers treatment options for anyone who has been dealing with a slow or non-healing wound. Patients can make an appointment themselves, or they may be referred to us by their physician.

Who is most at risk?
The older you get the more susceptible you are to developing wounds that won’t heal. Older patients may have stenosis, a narrowing of arteries, which can severely limit proper blood flow to areas of the body. This mainly happens in the legs and feet, causing skin ulcerations.

We see a lot of wounds that don’t heal due to peripheral vascular disease. This is a condition where oxygenated blood is not getting to the legs and feet, causing necrosis or tissue death.

The body’s healing abilities can also be compromised by factors such as high blood pressure, certain medications or kidney dialysis treatments. Even small skin tears may take a long time to heal leading to progressive soft tissue loss, which can create a much deeper wound.

Patients with diabetes have decreased wound healing abilities because their immune systems are compromised from the disease. The longer you have diabetes, the more susceptible you are to wounds that won’t heal. Foot ulcerations, infections, peripheral vascular disease and neuropathy are serious foot complications of diabetes that can also lead to gangrene and lower limb amputation. Foot ulcerations and infections are the leading causes of hospitalization for persons with diabetes.

Individualized Treatment
There are many factors that may delay or prevent the healing of wounds. With this in mind, the wound care team performs a complete medical history and physical exam to develop an individualized treatment plan for each patient.

No wound is too small to be seen at the Columbia St. Mary’s Wound Healing Center. The quicker we see you and start treatment, the faster we are able to prevent further tissue loss, which can lead to larger, deeper wounds.

At the Columbia St. Mary’s Wound Healing Center, the highly trained staff of physicians, nurses and technologists work as a team to find the underlying causes for your inability to heal. We may also need to clean the wound to remove non-viable tissue that can further inhibit healing and allow bacterial growth and infection.

We offer a number of advanced treatments in the practice of wound care. The center also includes a staff of specialists trained in the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is utilized in the Wound Healing Centers’ hyperbaric chambers. These devices increase the amount of oxygen getting to the tissues which may improve wound healing.

A wound’s failure to heal can lead to diminished quality of life, infection, hospitalization or amputation due to bone infection or excessive tissue loss.

Preventative Care
In addition to treating multiple types of wounds such as diabetic ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, wounds from post-radiation tissue damage, crush injuries, wounds caused by poor circulation, trauma, gangrene and pressure ulcers, the Columbia St. Mary’s Wound Healing Center also focuses on preventive care.

For example, patients with diabetes receive recommendations on how to prevent foot ulcers through general education, proper nail and callus care, and accommodation of hammertoes, bunions and other foot deformities. We also perform simple foot sensation tests to determine a patient’s risk level of ulcerations and then make recommendations to prevent them from occurring.

Jason Boudreau, DPM, CWS, FACFAS
Podiatrist and Surgeon
Columbia St. Mary's Wound Centers
414-964-HEAL (4325)

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