Why Isn’t My Foot Wound Healing?

It was just a small little wound that you didn’t pay much attention to, assuming your body would just do what it does best — heal and repair itself. Except that isn’t happening, and not only is your foot wound not getting better, it’s going in the opposite direction and getting worse.  And you’re wondering why.

Here at Temecula Medical Group, we provide treatment for minor wounds and lacerations (services typical of a primary care clinic).  Our team, which includes Dr. Richard H. Rawson, DO; Ryan D. Rowan, PA-C; Armanda L. Alvarez, FNP-C; Christine Padilla, FNP-C, routinely helps patients with slow-healing wounds. We’re very familiar with the reasons why these potentially dangerous wounds develop, and we want to share that information with you below.   

If you are dealing with a wound issue, as your primary care provider we can evaluate, and treat (within our scope of care), OR get you a referral to a wound care specialist.  Don't let your wound get worse.  We want to help. 

Plus, we discuss what to do if you have a slow-healing wound (hint: Come see us straight away!).

How wounds heal

When your body is wounded, it initiates a four-part healing cascade that includes:

1. Hemostasis — your platelets stop the bleeding
2. Inflammatory phase — healing resources set up to repair the damage
3. Proliferation — your body makes new cells to repair the wound
4. Remodeling — the new tissues scar over and strengthen

Each of these phases relies on a circulatory system that can deliver the nutrients, immune cells, oxygen, and other resources that your body needs to fight infection and heal the wound.

When wounds don’t heal

If you have a wound that shows no signs of healing, it means that your blood flow is compromised, and you can’t move past phase 2 of the healing process, which leaves you wide open for infection. When infection sets in, this lack of resources becomes even more problematic as insufficient immune cells can get to the wound to fight off bacteria.

Far and away, the leading cause of slow-healing wounds is diabetes, which affects more than 11% of the population in the United States. When you have diabetes, your lifetime risk of developing a diabetic foot ulcer, which is a version of a slow-healing wound, is between 19% and 34%, and, unfortunately, infection develops in up to 60% of these ulcers.

With diabetes, high levels of glucose in your bloodstream lead to nerve and blood vessel damage, both of which contribute to your wound’s inability to heal.

Another culprit behind slow-healing wounds is peripheral artery disease (PAD), which affects 1 in 20 Americans over the age of 50. With PAD, your arteries have blockages that compromise the flow of blood to your lower extremities.

Other conditions can also slow down wound healing, but PAD and diabetes are responsible for most cases. 

Take action when a wound isn’t healing

No matter what’s behind your slow-healing wound, it’s important to act quickly. Early intervention is critical when a wound isn’t healing properly.

The moment you realize that your wound may be in trouble, we want you to come in so we can take a look and get you on a better healing path. Better yet, if you have diabetes or PAD and you have an open cut, scrape, or blister on your foot, see us immediately as a preventive measure.

It’s no exaggeration to say that our early intervention can potentially save your limb, as diabetic foot ulcers and ulcers due to PAD are leading causes of lower limb amputations.

We hate to end on such a frightening note, but slow-healing wounds can be very serious, and we want you to appreciate why prompt action is key.

So, if you have a slow-healing wound, please contact our Temecula, California office to set up an appointment or visit our clinic from 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday through Friday.

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Temecula Medical Group Place of Healing: We strive to make our clinic a healing space for all of our patients through compassionate care and active listening.