MD Podiatrist Discusses Chronic Wounds and Blood Flow

According to Dan Michaels, DPM, “Typically, in a healthy individual, some type of skin injury will proceed through the well-studied stages of healing. When it doesn’t follow that timeline, when healing is delayed or stops, there must be a reason. This is the detective work that is part of wound care. Our treatments for these lesions get better results when we know why the wound has stalled.”
 
“Due to the many recognized diseases which produce clogging of our arteries, ulcers that won’t heal because of inadequate blood supply are too common. Arterial disease, for most people, is a gradual process; the skin and soft tissues are already unhealthy from years of deprivation. Healing this type of ulcer requires a restoration of blood supply, often necessitating a surgical procedure. Without improved flow, no medicine, no high tech graft or therapy, will lead to healing. As the saying in wound care goes, ‘we are held hostage by the blood flow,'” says Dr. Michaels.