When Do You Need a Wound Care Specialist?

A regular physician can treat a general wound due to an injury. Still, a wound care specialist practices in this field for three years and qualifies for the most sophisticated treatments and different technologies to treat the patients and help them recover rapidly from severe wounds. 

If you are suffering from chronic wounds, consult a specialist for wound care in Alexandria. Their treatments can reduce the risk of complications and encourage a speedy recovery. 

What do you expect from a wound care specialist? 

When a patient visits the wound care specialists for the first time, they diagnose the wound thoroughly and any symptoms or risks that could be coming in the way of your recovery. 

The specialist gives a customized plan to deal with the wound. He considers the patient’s case history, type of wound, the patient’s capability to cope with the treatment plan (for example, physical therapy), and any additional treatments that you might require. 

Once the patient is done with the initial diagnosis and the specialist gives him an appointment for the next date, and on the next appointment, he checks the improvement of the patient.

When to consider a wound care specialist? 

Not all types of wounds need a specialist. Most of the wounds can be treated by a primary healthcare provider.

Some serious wounds need treatment in a hospital and recovery, while some infectious wounds result in increased pain, redness, swelling, or fever and need immediate medical attention. 

Complex wounds like vascular or diabetic ulcers, traumatic injuries, and wounds due to radiation require the attention of a wound care specialist.

A specific condition can worsen the wound and the recovery process. These conditions include: 

• Diabetes: diabetic people have poor blood circulation; the blood flow to the wound is slow to supply a wound with adequate nutrients.
• CHF: congestive heart failure makes it difficult for the blood to flow and supply a wound.
• Vascular diseases: blockage of a vessel may also cause decreased blood supply and devoid the wound of nutrients.
• Obesity: it adds oxidative stress and makes the healing process slower.
• Kidney failure: toxins accumulate in the body due to renal failure and make the healing process difficult. 

Some lifestyle issues can cause delayed wound healing. These include: 

1. Alcohol consumption 
2. Poor diet
3. Smoking 
4. Inactivity 

If your wound has not recovered in 6 weeks from the day of injury or hasn’t started to heal in 2 weeks from the day of injury, you should consult a wound care specialist.

Richard Buckley