Inflammation of a wound

predisposition

Wounds can have various causes and forms. From small, more superficial wounds to large, deep cuts, everything is included. However, the size and depth of the wound does not say anything about its tendency to become inflamed. The course of the injury and the contamination of the wound are important here.

Read more on the topic: Superinfection

For example, wounds caused by the effects of violence with heavily contaminated objects tend to become more infected than wounds caused, for example, by a freshly cleaned knife. Especially bite wounds and wounds that occur on a construction site tend to become inflamed.

People who have weak immune systems can also get inflammation from wounds more easily and more frequently.

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prophylaxis

Several measures can be taken to keep a wound from becoming infected.

First of all, you should clean the wound yourself and, if necessary, use self-disinfecting ointments such as for example Betaisodona® ointment or Betaisodona wound gel Instruct. The wound can also be protected from new contamination, for example with a plaster or bandage. When applying the plaster, care should be taken not to touch the point of contact with the wound, as contamination of the plaster can also lead to inflammation of the wound. Wood and glass splinters in particular should be removed from the wound as quickly as possible.

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If you have problems cleaning the wound yourself, it is advisable to consult a doctor as soon as possible. They can also have a vaccination to prevent serious diseases such as tetanus or rabies. In the case of bite wounds in particular, it is advisable to inquire about the vaccination status of the biting animal, in order to be able to give the doctor direct information about the need for a rabies vaccination.

Symptoms

If a wound becomes infected, it usually shows a reddish swelling in addition to normal wound healing. The tissue around the wound is also warmer than usual. In addition, there is a functional limitation of the affected limbs. For example, the finger can no longer be moved correctly or an inflamed wound on the knee can limp.

Read more on the topic: Phases of wound healing

In some cases, the wounds become so inflamed that pus may form in the wound.

Read more on the subject at: Pus in / on the finger - you should pay attention to this!

If the inflammation spreads throughout the body, it can also cause an inflammatory response throughout the body. If pathogens can still be detected in the blood, it is called blood poisoning (sepsis). Blood poisoning is a dangerously life-threatening disease that can be treated in an intensive care unit, but it is also often fatal. The first symptoms of pathogens spreading throughout the body can be fever, low blood pressure and a racing heart.

Localizations

Inflamed wound on the hand

There are many different causes that cause a wound on the hand to become inflamed.

A common cause is an animal bite. Owners of cats or dogs in particular are likely to have been bitten by their animal at least once in their life. There doesn't have to be any bad intent behind this - a small bite can happen quickly even when playing with the pet. Since the saliva of all animals, including humans, contains many germs, bite wounds become infected frequently if they are not professionally cleaned and treated.

The result is a mostly purulent inflammation, which in the worst case can lead to tissue death or even blood poisoning.

But other injuries, such as cuts, can lead to inflammation of a wound on the hand. Of course, surgical wounds can also become infected. For good wound healing, it is also very important to protect the wound.

This is often difficult with the hands, as you have to rely on them in everyday life. However, it is even more important not to soil or irritate the wound too much in order to avoid inflammation.

Severe inflammation may require antibiotic therapy and hand immobilization. If the inflammation and infection are very pronounced, surgical measures may also be necessary.

Inflamed wound on the finger

A common cause of a finger sore is a cut. Many people have already cut their fingers while cooking.

Small, superficial cuts are usually not a problem and heal well. It is important to clean the wound under running water to prevent contamination. You should avoid touching the wound.

Deeper cuts may require treatment by a doctor. Inflammation manifests itself as swelling, reddening and overheating of the wound. Signs such as fever or pain also suggest inflammation.

If you have symptoms like this, you should definitely have a doctor look at the wound. Another common reason for an inflamed wound on the finger is what is known as panaritium. The smallest injuries or wounds on the finger, for example caused by nail biting, allow pathogens to enter the tissue.

A purulent inflammation develops, which can be very painful. Those affected usually feel a throbbing pain in the affected finger. Redness, swelling, and even fever are also typical. Usually the pus is then drained through a small incision and the wound is provided with wound dressings. The use of antibiotics is also possible.

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Inflamed wound on the leg

Inflamed wounds on the legs come in particular at Pre-existing conditions such as diabetes mellitus, one peripheral arterial disease or one chronic venous insufficiency in front.

What these diseases have in common is that tissue defects can occur that are then difficult to heal. These are known as Ulcer.

A specially coordinated procedure is necessary for such wounds in order to achieve wound healing. Since the wounds heal poorly, that is Risk of infection also elevated. Other risk factors for inflamed wounds on the legs are Tobacco use and very overweight.

Emergence

The first barrier of the human body is that skin, once broken through an injury, germs like Mushrooms and bacteria enter our body without any problems. But also Foreign material like earth or dust can lodge in these open wounds.

In the case of foreign material, the body first tries to render it harmless. They try Scavenger cells of the body (Macrophages) pick up the small particles of foreign material and then destroy them. This area of ​​the body has to be special so that the phagocytes can get to the wound easily well supplied with blood become. So comes the Reddening of the surrounding tissue conditions.

Of the pus comes about through a group of cells that form the immune system belong to humans and can die in the context of inflammation. These cells are called neutrophil granulocytes. The neutrophil granulocytes have a large number of different enzymes that have penetrated bacteria and Decompose foreign matter can.

Inflamed wound after an operation

One possible complication after an operation is inflammation of the surgical wound. There is a certain risk of this with every operation. To keep this risk as low as possible, an operation is performed under sterile conditions.

However, wound healing disorders can occur and are favored by factors such as smoking or previous illnesses such as diabetes mellitus. Other risk factors for a wound healing disorder are old age, poor blood circulation or wound care and the use of certain medications.

Signs of inflammation in a surgical wound are pain, redness, swelling, or fever. Pus is also a sign of inflammation or infection.

In order to minimize the risk of inflammation of a wound after an operation, you should take care of the wound for the prescribed period and avoid sweaty exercise. Even full baths or showering must be avoided for a certain period of time after some operations. Inflammation makes special wound care necessary.

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Inflammation of a wound after removal of a whiteness tooth

The removal of the wisdom teeth represents one routine dental procedure which is carried out every day in Germany. As a rule, the wounds heal well and without complications after the wisdom tooth has been removed.

However, inflammation can also occur. Mostly the inflammation is noticeable in that the pain does not get better and the Swelling not as requested decreases.

Also Redness in the area of ​​the cheek and fever are signs of inflammation.

To avoid inflammation, there are a few things to watch out for after the wisdom tooth is removed. Sport and sweaty activities should for Refrain from about 14 days become. On the consumption of Tobacco, coffee, alcohol and Energy drinks should also be avoided. Dental care can be carried out as usual, leaving out the affected area. Solid and crumbly food should be avoided for a few days after the operation.

Diagnosis

A visual diagnosis is usually sufficient to identify an inflamed wound, as the formation of crusts is often limited and the wounds are overheated and very red.

However, there are also wounds that show much deeper inflammation. This can happen if, for example, germs can penetrate deep under the skin through an actually small, narrow stab wound. This can lead to abscesses under the skin. These can be seen with either an ultrasound image or a computed tomography (CT) scan.CT, in particular, is only used if there is a suspicion of large, deep-seated abscesses, as the examination in the CT results in considerable exposure to X-rays.

Read more about this under: Stab wound

The blood count shows the typical changes in inflammation, such as increased blood sedimentation rate (ESR) and increased GPT (liver enzyme) and increased LDH. The two parameters GPT and LDH give unspecific information about the cell breakdown in the body and are increased with almost every inflammation.

In most cases of a superficially inflamed wound, however, the visual diagnosis mentioned at the beginning is sufficient.

treatment

In order to treat an inflamed wound, cleaning is first important.

This should use an alcohol-free disinfectant such as OctaniDerm® can be applied. Alcohol-based disinfectants clean the wound just as well, but are very uncomfortable because they burn a lot in the wound.

When cleaning the wound, care should be taken not to roughly remove any scabs that have already formed, otherwise the wound surface that is already healing may be torn open again. It is important to pay attention to the sterility of the selected dressing for the further care of inflamed wounds. It is imperative to avoid that the padding surface of the plaster comes into contact with contaminated material or with the hands. In addition, when applying the plaster, care should be taken to ensure that the adhesive surfaces do not stick to the wound but to the surrounding skin. A regular dressing change should also be carried out. When choosing the dressing material, care should be taken to ensure that it is not completely airtight.

While taking personal hygiene measures, such as showering, it should be avoided that the newly formed encrustation of the wound is softened and possibly peeled off.

Ointments for the treatment of inflamed wounds

Inflamed wounds bring some discomfort like Pain, Swelling, unpleasant smells or even fever with himself.

In the worst case, threaten Wound necrosis - tissue death - or even life-threatening blood poisoning. Therefore, a wound, for example after an operation or an injury, should always be seen by a doctor.

Also the Course of wound healing should tracked at regular intervals in order to be able to treat inflammation and wound healing disorders in good time.

Also come in treating inflamed wounds Anoint for use. You can antibiotic additives contain that one bacterial infestation treat the wound. Furthermore are disinfectant additives that also fight germs and keep the wound as sterile as possible. Just at open wounds is this Risk of infection with germs very high.

Anti-inflammatory supplementse are also part of many ointments. If the inflammation is pronounced, however, professional wound care is essential, so you should not try to treat the inflammation yourself with ointments from the pharmacy. Small wounds that arise in everyday life can be taken with Ointments from the pharmacy supply. However, you should consult a doctor if there are signs of inflammation.

Home Remedies - An Option To Treat Chronic Wounds?

For inflamed wounds one should refrain from home remedies. What has a beneficial effect on small wounds can in fact lead to a deterioration in the condition of inflamed wounds.

If you are injured or cut, gently clean the wound under running water. Avoid touching the wound if possible and avoid using ointments or wound dressings. In the case of animal bites in particular, you should not manipulate the wound and consult a doctor immediately. For good wound healing, the best home remedy is Protection of the wound.

Homeopathy - An Option To Treat Chronic Wounds?

Since inflamed wounds can cause serious complications, is from the use of homeopathic remedies only not advised.

There are also no standardized recommendations for the use of their products on inflamed wounds from the providers of homeopathic products. It can therefore be at this point no recommendations to be pronounced.

The healing process of an inflamed wound can be delayed by the use of homeopathic remedies. Complications such as infections or blood poisoning cannot be prevented either.

Consequences of an inflamed wound

The consequences of an inflamed wound can range from a small scar to severe restrictions on movement. If the wound is inflamed for a longer period of time, severe scarring of the tissue can subsequently occur.

Initially, the scars are very reddened, then the color intensity decreases and the scars become less and less noticeable. However, if an inflamed wound is not treated, blood poisoning (sepsis) can occur, which is life-threatening. In some cases, depending on the location of the inflamed wound, joint stiffening can also occur and consequently restricted mobility.

Very rarely, limb amputations occur in the context of an inflamed wound and a strong bacterial colonization. This can happen above all if the person concerned has a very weak immune system in connection with a very aggressive germ and a very late first treatment of the inflamed wound.

As a rule, even an inflamed wound heals well with correct care. Complications only arise with very complicated germs, a weak immune situation and very late first aid.