You can attain a wound due to several factors, from a cut to underlying medical complications. A standard wound should heal within four weeks, but anything beyond would indicate something else. The Bakersfield wound care specialists agree that most non-healing wounds are due to underlying medical complications. They offer wound care services to ensure your chronic wound will eventually heal. But the most important thing to do first is determine why your wound is not healing. Here, we put together five main reasons why wounds become chronic. Have a look.

1.     Poor Circulation

Circulation plays a vital role in wound healing. There must be easy circulation access to your wound site for the wound to heal efficiently. But two things can happen. You can suffer arterial insufficiency where blood flow to the wound site is compromised through the arteries. You can also suffer venous insufficiency, where blood and fluid from the rest of your body fail to flow back to the heart through the veins. Peripheral atherosclerosis disease, where plaque forms inside the arteries and impedes blood flow, is the most common reason for arterial insufficiency. Valves malfunction is behind venous insufficiency, where the valves in the veins fail to prevent blood and fluids from leaking out.

2.     Infection

Wounds require extra and special care to prevent an infection. When you get a proliferation of fungus, virus, or bacteria on your wound, it compromises the natural and timely curing of the wound. Although the invaders can be overtaken and destroyed by your white blood cells, sometimes an infection can be challenging to solve when other factors like circulation issues compromise the wound. But you can prevent infections to the wound by giving your proper wound care.

3.     Edema

Venous insufficiency can cause edema buildup, increasing your wound’s chances of developing sores. Edema is the fluid accumulated in your dermis or fatty tissues in your skin, mainly in the lower extremities. When the fluid accumulates, it can block nutrients flow to the wound, compromising the healing process. But this can be corrected through various compression therapies. The fluids are forced back into the circulation and the lymphatic systems to promote proper wound healing.

4.     Protein Malnutrition

Proteins are the bodybuilding structures for your body. Wound healing involves building new tissues in the affected area, which will not happen without an adequate supply of proteins. This is one of the most overlooked reasons why most wounds fail to heal. Therefore, you need a substantial intake increase of proteins when you have a wound to promote healing. Remember that even if the outside of the wound heals, the wound will only heal to the degree of the amount of nutrition in your body.

5.     Repetitive Trauma

Wound protection is one of the essential aspects of wound care. If your wound experiences repetitive trauma, whether due to rubbing or bumping, it will not heal as expected and can completely stop the healing process. This problem is primarily magnified in paraplegic patients who cannot feel their feet bumping on the wheelchair. Therefore, you must protect your wound at all costs to avoid repetitive trauma and promote healing.

One or more of these reasons could cause your wound not to heal. That is why it is crucial to seek expert wound care from experienced providers who can identify why your wound is not healing. Get in touch with the wound care specialists at Diabetic Foot and Wound Care for more information.