9 replies to this topic

[sherrya]

Has anyone had experience with using light therapy to aid in healing of pressure sores? They use red LED lights at a certain frequency which increases blood circulation which speeds healing. There are several home models available for purchase as they have been used for some time to help with muscle/joint pain. It has been shown that the increased blood circulation helps the muscle to heal. If you read the testimonials on the websites the users can not say enough good things about how they have improved function because of less pain.
The websites say that the light therapy "may" aid in healing of pressure sores and diabetic ulcers. There are no testimonials as far as being used for pressure sore healing and I don't know whether this is because no one has tried it yet or whether they tried it and it didn't work. I did find that light therapy has been used by veterinarians for healing wounds on animals. And NASA has been using it in space because when the astronauts get in a zero gravity situation and get a cut their wounds are slow to heal.
I have a stubborn stage 2 that is slow to heal. Usually Duoderm does the trick but this one is healing slower and the light technolgy makes sense.
Any comments?

[McRobb]

I have not used the light therapy but eons ago (mid sixties) I worked at a hospital and "heat" bulb was standard treatment for pressure sores then. We used to get patients from nursing homes with huge sores and silver nitrate to burn off dead skin and heat lamp was standard. Not real effective in my book but LED and newer technology may have better results.
Have you tried the Miracle Mist? I use it and have been really happy with my results. Best of luck!

 sherrya, on 22 July 2011 - 11:49 PM, said:

Has anyone had experience with using light therapy to aid in healing of pressure sores? They use red LED lights at a certain frequency which increases blood circulation which speeds healing. There are several home models available for purchase as they have been used for some time to help with muscle/joint pain. It has been shown that the increased blood circulation helps the muscle to heal. If you read the testimonials on the websites the users can not say enough good things about how they have improved function because of less pain.
The websites say that the light therapy "may" aid in healing of pressure sores and diabetic ulcers. There are no testimonials as far as being used for pressure sore healing and I don't know whether this is because no one has tried it yet or whether they tried it and it didn't work. I did find that light therapy has been used by veterinarians for healing wounds on animals. And NASA has been using it in space because when the astronauts get in a zero gravity situation and get a cut their wounds are slow to heal.
I have a stubborn stage 2 that is slow to heal. Usually Duoderm does the trick but this one is healing slower and the light technolgy makes sense.
Any comments?

[Slowlegs]

As far as I can see, if this is the product I am thinking of you are wasting your money. I went to a product presentation for an LED light stimulator, the people who were promoting it said they could cure everything from aids to alzheimers, all up they claimed thousands of cures - literally. The thing was the size of a zippo lighter and was carried around in a pocket or as a pendant.

There are many sorts of light therapy though so you could be talking about a number of different therapies. Wikipedia have a fair bit of information on different forms of light therapy. Just be very careful as a number of people offer all sort of products that are effective at relieving you of money and little else. Good luck with your pressure sore no matter what you use to cure it.

[greybeard]

Heat is heat, no matter what the source. Hot water, naked flame, electric heat pads, microwave bags, led lights - they are all just heat sources. The skin will redden when any of them are near, which is evidence that the blood vessels are engorged. Whether any source is better than any other is probably just pure sales hype, as is the claim that this promotes healing. It just feels nice and relaxes muscles as far as I can see. But then I am not a medical expert (or a salesman!)

[sh1wn]

They would have to be high watt LED's to produce much heat.

[brockit79]

Hey,

You probably already know this, but, the best thing for healing pressure ulcers is to relieve the pressure. It is a fact that if you encourage blood flow to the site healing will speed up. In my job I used to treat foot wounds by scalpel debridement followed by an appopriate dressing and pressure relief with some pretty good results.

Honey dressings are good at debriding (removing the, often yellowish, skin, slough) wounds but don't suit everyone.

You need to enlist the help of a tissue viability (wound) nurse; they are often more knowledgable than GP's in this particular area (UK, I can't comment about US).

Im in a similar situation with a stubborn wound although I know it could be a lot worse I'm going out of my mind trying to lie in bed all day and fidget when I want to be out and about, working and swimming. I considered using my scalpel and the nurse freaked (understandable I suppose), she talked me in to trying the honey and I reluctantly agreed. Guess what! It did the trick! So I am going with what they say.

I have not heard of LED light's for healing wounds but before you try look at what research back up the claims. My initial worry would be burning the skin which would make things a lot worse.

[Millard]

 brockit79, on 25 July 2011 - 07:54 AM, said:

Hey,

You probably already know this, but, the best thing for healing pressure ulcers is to relieve the pressure. It is a fact that if you encourage blood flow to the site healing will speed up. In my job I used to treat foot wounds by scalpel debridement followed by an appopriate dressing and pressure relief with some pretty good results.

Honey dressings are good at debriding (removing the, often yellowish, skin, slough) wounds but don't suit everyone.

You need to enlist the help of a tissue viability (wound) nurse; they are often more knowledgable than GP's in this particular area (UK, I can't comment about US).

Im in a similar situation with a stubborn wound although I know it could be a lot worse I'm going out of my mind trying to lie in bed all day and fidget when I want to be out and about, working and swimming. I considered using my scalpel and the nurse freaked (understandable I suppose), she talked me in to trying the honey and I reluctantly agreed. Guess what! It did the trick! So I am going with what they say.

I have not heard of LED light's for healing wounds but before you try look at what research back up the claims. My initial worry would be burning the skin which would make things a lot worse.

There is a product, Microcyn, developed especially for this. It is manufactured by Oculus, Inc. and now has a production facility in England. It is amazing how quickly it will heal pressure ulcers, burns and etc. It is also called Puracyn and Vetericyn.

I hope this helps.

[chat]

Hi, Millard I want to know if it is already available here in the Philippines? I've been looking for the best medicine that will heal pressure sores fast. Thanks!

[Millard]

 chat, on 27 August 2011 - 12:43 PM, said:

Hi, Millard I want to know if it is already available here in the Philippines? I've been looking for the best medicine that will heal pressure sores fast. Thanks!

Hi Chat,

From other post, some people have found that in other countries, they found Vetericyn VF at the veterinarians office. You may want to try there. It is exactly the same product developed humans (Microcyn) only labeled differently. If you find it, make sure your sore is clear (do not need debridement) and spray the Vetericyn directly onto the sore and let dry. If you put a bandage on it, just spray the sore liberally and spray the bandage so that it is soaked. Just tape it over the sore and be on your way.

Good luck.

[chat]

Hi thank you so much.. I will ask my husband to look for it here! God bless!