What Is A Bed Sore?

A bed sore is an area of skin and tissue that has been damaged due to prolonged pressure on a specific area of the body. A bed sore is an area of skin and tissue that has been damaged due to prolonged pressure on a specific area of the body. Typically bed sores, or pressure sores as they are sometimes called, result in situations where a person is in a seated or still position for an extended period of time. Bed sores are often found in people who are either bed ridden, immobile, and/or wheelchair bound. The bed sore occurs because the stationary positioning creates immense pressure on a specific body part that eventually cuts off the blood supply to the affected area. When the skin dies off from the cut off blood supply, the affected area becomes very red, painful to the touch, and infected. In most patients, bed sores occur on the buttocks, back, and/or heels of the feet. Bed sores are commonly found in residents of nursing homes and extended stay hospital patients. Generally there are four stages of a bed sore: stage 1; stage 2; stage 3; and stage 4. Although bed sores will generally resolve themselves with the proper treatment, they generally take weeks, if not months, to completely heal. Depending on the circumstances, bed sores generally denote improper care or neglect. In ordinary situations with the proper attention and method of turning, bed sores can and should be prevented.