Wound Healing

Living with a chronic health condition such as diabetes may affect all areas of your body, including nerves in your feet or hands, which reduces your ability to feel changes and promptly address potential problems. When you’re on the mend from an injury or as you regularly monitor your long-standing concern, getting the care you need can help you heal, learn to live well with your situation and recover as quickly as possible.

Specialized Wound Healing Close to Home

Choose the wound healing specialists at OU Health in Oklahoma City or OU Health rehabilitation specialists in Edmond for access to the extensive resources of Oklahoma’s only academic medical center, including our comprehensive network of healthcare professionals and rehabilitation experts who work with you to create an evidence-based treatment plan designed to meet your individual needs and adjust with you over time.

Continuous Care – At Home or Hospital

Whether you need care during your hospital stay or as part of daily life at home, your OU Health wound healing experts continually track your progress, communicate with your primary doctor at least once a month, consult with vascular specialists and other providers or make referrals for innovative treatment options, such as biologic alternative tissue applications that can jump-start healing for a stagnant wound.

Wound Conditions We Treat

Take advantage of OU Health expert wound healing services designed to help you avoid major complications, such as amputation, from slow-to-heal or non-healing wounds such as:

• Venous insufficiency (leg) ulcers
• Diabetic foot ulcers
• Arterial ulcers
• Complex chronic non-healing wounds
• Dehisced (split) surgical wounds

Wound Healing Services

Find the complete, compassionate medical care, support and rehabilitation you need through OU Health comprehensive wound healing services, including wound debridement, as well as:

• Balance and coordination skills training
• Communication skills and cognitive training
• Mobility support, gait training and use of adaptive equipment such as walkers or splints
• Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT), also known as vacuum-assisted closure (VAC), to promote healing
• Nutrition guidelines and plans to support healing and overall health
• Pain management methods and therapeutic approaches for healing
• Strength and endurance training
• Total contact casts, the gold standard for diabetic foot wounds

Your OU Health care team members thoroughly evaluate your condition, listen to your concerns, provide valuable information, customize your ongoing care plan and prepare you and your family to manage your condition for the best long-term outcomes.

Following a hospital stay, you also may receive physical therapy or assistance through other manual therapy methods on an outpatient basis through OU Health Rehabilitation Services.

Wound Healing for Diabetes

Living with diabetes means you may experience numbness, infections or wounds, including pressure sores, especially on your feet, that don’t seem to heal properly. Your diabetes self-care plan needs to include daily review of your feet to discover irregularities like calluses, bruises or cuts that may quickly become serious problems.

At OU Health, you can rely on podiatry specialists and the exceptional resources of OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center to assist you with understanding and evaluating related conditions such as:

• Diabetic neuropathy – Causes feet or fingers to feel tingly and numb; interferes with your perception of injury or wound
• High blood sugar – Contributes to stiffened blood vessels that restrict blood flow and slow the healing process
• Reduced immune system function – Occurs when your body produces certain hormones and enzymes that slow down natural healing processes

Your Expert Wound Healing Team

Working with the specialized wound healing team at OU Health means you collaborate with board-certified physicians, surgeons and therapists who focus their decades of advanced education and experience on your specific situation. In addition to your primary care doctor, your OU Health team may include:

• Board-certified burn surgeon
• Certified hand therapist
• Certified wound care specialists
• Pedorthotist, a specialist with advanced certification in designing, making and fitting therapeutic shoes to help relieve painful or disabling conditions of the feet

Rely on your OU Health team members for accurate information you can use to improve your self-care and stay healthy, no matter what underlying health conditions may affect your life. You’ll work with compassionate healthcare professionals dedicated to evidence-based treatment who invest in their own continuing education and participate in research projects that help develop innovative treatments for your care.