For Patients

Please see below for helpful information about wounds and wound healing.

Treating Pain

Pain from a wound can be intense or dull and aching. It may come on suddenly and be related to an injury, possibly warning of potential tissue damage. It may be chronic, lasting months and not really associated with a particular event. Sometimes, people don’t tell their healthcare provider they’re in pain. They may think pain is an expected part of their health condition.

At The Wound Care Center at Montefiore Nyack Hospital, our staff will help you deal with any degree of pain. Let us know if you’re experiencing pain or if your current pain management methods aren’t effective. Tell us what causes changes in your pain level and the methods you use for dealing with pain.

Boost Your Body’s Healing Power

Poor nutrition can result in poor wound healing and can increase your risk of developing new ulcers. If you answer “yes” to any of the questions below, you may be malnourished.

1. Do you have a disease, illness or chronic condition that causes you to change the way you usually eat or makes it hard for you to eat?
2. Do you think you have a poor diet?
3. Do you have tooth or mouth pain, gum disease, missing teeth or poorly fitting dentures?
4. Do you have too little money for food?
5. Do you live and eat alone?
6. Are you taking a lot of medications?
7. Have you been gaining or losing weight without meaning to?
8. Do you have trouble walking, shopping or preparing food?
9. Are you over age 80?

If you’re at nutritional risk, ask your doctor or a registered dietician for help improving your diet. Montefiore Nyack Hospital’s registered dietitians offer one-on-one nutritional counseling for individuals who wish to develop a personalized eating plan based on their specific health condition.

For information about nutritional counseling services at Montefiore Nyack Hospital, call 845-348-2167.

Take Care of Your Skin!

Our skin is almost indestructible. It’s constantly being renewed and has both protective and adaptive properties. Some skin functions include:

• Preventing fluid loss
• Regulating temperature by evaporation of perspiration and heat storage
• Producing vitamin D
• Excreting metabolic wastes
• Identifying the sensations of touch, pain, temperature and pressure
• Using/absorbing some drugs, like steroids and hormones
• Preventing allergic reactions 

Age, physical limitations, disease(s), trauma, nutritional state and hygiene affect skin appearance, condition, health, suppleness and integrity. The natural aging process results in your skin becoming thinner, less elastic, more tissue-paper like and more easily damaged during your daily activities.

Underlying medical conditions or medications used to treat them (such as diabetes, kidney or liver problems, heart and blood vessel conditions, and lung disease) can increase the risk of bruising, trauma, drying, splitting, cracking and peeling.

Sensitive, fragile skin can be jeopardized by simply bumping or brushing up against an object or scratching or rubbing an itching area. If dryness, chapping or peeling are also present, a broken area may result and become an open sore. If there’s an underlying disease present, the sore can increase in size and become infected. It can cause physical discomfort and be quite costly.

Physical limitations can result in skin care problems if mobility is restricted or severely hampered. This happens to people with total body or long leg casts, traction, strokes, hip joint replacement, arthritis and other disabling conditions.

When to Talk to Your Doctor

If not properly treated, the following list of problems may lead to broken skin, ulcerations, infections, and chronic wounds. If any of the following happens to you, talk to your doctor:

• Development of a wound, especially on the lower leg or foot
• Dry, cracked, peeling skin
• Blisters
• Bumps with pus
• Dermatitis (dry or weeping)
• Allergic reactions
• Multiple or extensive skin tears
• Fissures of the skin on the feet, especially the heels

LEARN MORE

• Chronic wounds affect nearly 7 million Americans. Learn about foot ulcer risk and prevention.
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a powerful tool that promotes wound healing.
• Learn how hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps doctors heal patients.
• Read about symptoms and treatment of skin ulcers.

For information about the Wound Care Center or to make an appointment, call 845-348-7600.