Wound Care

What is wound care?

Wound care is a branch of medicine focused on diagnosing, treating, and preventing chronic wounds. At Diabetic Foot and Wound Center, the wound care clinic is open seven-days-a-week and accepts walk-ins.

The team has extensive experience caring for all types of non-healing wounds, including:

• Diabetic ulcers
• Venous ulcers
• Arterial ulcers
• Pressure ulcers

When left untreated, chronic wounds can affect every aspect of your life, increasing your risk of infection or amputation. Over time, they may also limit your mobility, keeping you from work, exercise, or spending time with friends and family.

Why is wound care important?

Wound care is important because it addresses non-healing wounds at their source. The team at Diabetic Foot and Wound Center uses integrative treatments that go beyond masking uncomfortable symptoms. 

By pinpointing the underlying cause of your wounds and developing a custom care plan, they can encourage healing and a better quality of life. 

What happens during a wound care appointment?

A wound care appointment begins with a review of your medical history, a discussion of your lifestyle and symptoms, and a physical exam. During the exam, your provider carefully observes each wound, noting the color, size, and condition. 

Usually, visual observation is enough to make a diagnosis. If your provider suspects your wounds are due to poor circulation, an infection, or an underlying chronic health problem like diabetes, they might also order blood tests, a venous ultrasound, X-rays, or an MRI.

After gathering all of the necessary information, your Diabetic Foot and Wound Center provider develops a custom care plan that aligns with your individual needs.

What treatments does wound care utilize?

At Diabetic Foot and Wound Center, the team uses integrative treatments to ease pain, prevent infection, promote healing, and avoid amputation. Depending on the type of wound you have, and the severity of your symptoms, they might recommend:

MIST® Therapy

Mist therapy exposes chronic wounds to a saline mist via low-frequency ultrasound waves. The saline mist increases vasodilation, which stimulates the cells and encourages healing.

Debridement

Debridement removes dead or damaged skin and tissue from around a wound. This process promotes growth factor and protein synthesis, triggering your body’s natural healing process. 

The team offers several different types of debridement: surgical debridement, mechanical debridement, enzymatic debridement, autolytic debridement, ultrasonic debridement, and maggot therapy.

Total contact cast (TCC) offloading

If you have a chronic wound located on the bottom of your foot or another area of your body that is regularly under pressure, you might benefit from TCC offloading. TCC offloading uses a specially designed cast to ease pressure. That allows for easier and quicker healing.

Advanced biologics

Some slow-healing wounds require treatment using skin substitutes or advanced biologics. These cellular tissue products close the wound, control pain, and replace skin function, which promotes healing. 

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the amount of blood your oxygen can carry. More oxygen helps your body fight bacteria and stimulates the release of growth factors and stem cells. These substances promote healing and recovery.

Depending on your symptoms and health history, the team might also recommend vascular stenting, prescription medications, laser atherectomy or thrombectomy, revascularization, varicose vein surgery, or laser therapy.

To schedule a wound care appointment at Diabetic Foot and Wound Center, call the office or book a consultation online today. Walk-ins are also welcome seven days a week.