Bedsores are localized injuries to skin or underlying tissues that affect people who spend a lot of time in one position due to various conditions like paralysis, old age etc.
The sores usually occur in the bony areas of the body like as a result of pressure and fiction. The most common sites are the areas around the coccyx, heels, hips, elbows, knees, ankles, and back of shoulders.
In Ayurveda, bedsores can be correlated to a condition called Shaya Vrana. Shayya means lying down while Vrana means wounds.
Bedsores occur when pressure is applied to soft tissues that completely or partially obstruct blood flow to the soft tissues. This obstruction to blood flow may occur due to various reasons:
External Pressure: Pressure applied over any area of the body, specially the bony areas, can result in obstruction of blood flow. This deprives the tissues of oxygen and nutrients leading to formation of ulcers.
Friction: Friction occurs when the skin rubs against the bedding or clothing. It damages the superficial blood vessels directly under the skin.
Shearing: Shear happens when two surfaces move in opposite directions. For example, when a person is sitting on a bed, his skin might be sticking on to it. When the bed is elevated at the head, the body slides down, while the skin stays in place, causing shear. This separates the skin from underlying tissues, resulting in ulcers.
The symptoms of bedsores include:
The risk factors of bedsores include:
The AyurVAID protocol is based on the simple premise that the Physician must diagnose and treat only based on sufficient evidence. This evidence should be ‘patient or rogi based’ in addition to being ‘disease or roga based’ in accordance with the fundamental principles of Ayurveda.