Why do some pressure sores take so long to heal? - Mary Zeigler, MS

There’s several reasons.  Sometimes there’s other problems going on, other co-morbidities, that tax the immune system, and the immune system is responsible for the healing of a pressure sore.  Sometimes there’s a lack of compliance on the patient.  They don’t adhere to true pressure relief in the way they have to.  They perhaps may not want to sacrifice being away from their job, or having to take off a semester from school, and literally being bed-bound off-loading the area of injury.  And there’s other reasons that we totally don’t understand, why some pressure sores just don’t heal.  But on a positive note, the majority of pressure sores will heal, and the patient will do better if they comply to a healthy program of pressure relief, nutrition, hydration and healthy living.