Skin Checks and Pressure Relief After Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation: A Daily Routine

The mirror is on a long handle, angled so it catches the light from the bedroom window. Every morning before he transfers to the chair, a man who came home from rehabilitation eight weeks ago runs it across the back of his thighs, over both sit bones, along the tailbone. He is not looking for anything dramatic. He is looking for a patch of pink that was not there yesterday.

That two-minute habit is the heart of pressure sore prevention after spinal cord injury. When the nerves that would normally shout “move” fall silent, the body loses its built-in alarm. Skin that once made you fidget in a cinema seat now sits under the same load for hours without complaint, and the damage begins underneath, where you cannot see it.

This article walks through the routine rehabilitation teams teach, what the evidence says about timing and equipment, and the moments when a small finding needs a professional eye rather than a wait-and-see.

Why spinal cord injury changes the math on pressure injuries

A pressure injury, also called a pressure ulcer or bedsore, is damage to skin and the tissue beneath it caused by sustained pressure, friction or shear. Pressure squeezes the small blood vessels that carry oxygen to tissue; when that squeeze lasts long enough, cells starve and die. The Mayo Clinic notes that a pressure injury can develop over hours or days, and that the most vulnerable places are wherever bone sits close to the skin surface.

Three things happen after spinal cord injury that stack the odds. First, sensation below the level of injury is reduced or absent, so the discomfort that normally prompts a shift in position never arrives. Second, muscle below the injury wastes over time, thinning the natural padding over the sit bones, hips and tailbone. Third, changes in circulation and skin temperature regulation mean tissue tolerates load less well than it did before.

Shear deserves its own sentence, because it is the piece people underestimate. Shear is what happens when skin stays put against a surface while the bone underneath slides, as in a slow slump down a wheelchair seat or a transfer where the buttocks drag across a board. Blood vessels stretch and kink at an angle, which the Cleveland Clinic and NHS both flag as a major contributor alongside straight pressure.

Moisture from sweat or incontinence softens the outer skin layer, so it tears more easily. Friction from clothing seams or a rough transfer adds surface wear. Put pressure, shear, moisture and friction together on skin with no sensory alarm, and a routine that would be optional for most people becomes essential for someone living with paralysis.

Pressure sore prevention after spinal cord injury starts with a daily skin check

Rehabilitation teams teach the skin check as a fixed appointment with yourself, not a task for when you remember. MedlinePlus advises checking skin every day; the Cleveland Clinic recommends looking twice daily, once in the morning before getting up and once at night after getting into bed. Two checks bracket the hours you spend sitting, which is when most load lands on the buttocks.

Here is what actually happens during a check. You, or a caregiver, look at and feel every bony area that has borne weight. A long-handled mirror lets you see your own tailbone, sit bones and heels if you have enough arm function; a smartphone camera on a timer works for some people. Good light matters. On darker skin tones, early damage may not look red at all; it may appear purple, blue or simply a different shade than surrounding skin, so the feel of the area carries more weight.

Run the back of your fingers over the spot. You are comparing it to the skin nearby: is it warmer, cooler, firmer, spongy or boggy? MedlinePlus describes a simple test for a red area: press it gently with a finger. Healthy skin blanches white and then pinks back up. Skin that stays red under pressure has already lost normal blood flow and counts as a stage 1 injury.

Note what you find, even if it is nothing. A short daily log, on paper or a phone, turns a vague sense of “that looks a bit different” into a comparison with yesterday. Rehabilitation nurses often ask to see exactly this kind of record when a patch appears, because it tells them how fast things are changing.

How often should I change my position to prevent a pressure ulcer in bed?

The figure most guidelines land on for bed is every two hours. MedlinePlus states that people confined to bed should change position at least every two hours, and the NHS gives similar advice for anyone at high risk. This is a typical range, not a magic threshold; some people are told to turn more often early after injury or if their skin is already showing signs of strain, and your team’s schedule takes precedence over any general number.

Turning is more than rolling from one side to the other. Rehabilitation teams usually teach a rotation between the back and each side, using pillows or foam wedges to hold a 30-degree tilt rather than lying flat on the hip. A full 90-degree side-lie puts the whole load on the greater trochanter, the bony knob at the top of the thigh bone, which is one of the classic sore sites. The 30-degree tilt spreads weight across the softer tissue of the buttock.

Heels float. A pillow under the calves, not the heels themselves, lifts them clear of the mattress. MedlinePlus lists heels among the most common sites, and a heel sore is stubborn because the skin there has almost no padding.

The head of the bed matters too. Raising it more than about 30 degrees for long periods encourages sliding down the mattress, which creates shear over the tailbone. If you eat or read propped up, your team may suggest bending the knees slightly with a wedge to stop the slide.

For people who cannot turn independently, an alternating-pressure or low-air-loss mattress may be prescribed. These change the load pattern automatically, but the NHS is clear that they supplement repositioning rather than replace it. Night alarms on a phone are a low-tech tool many families rely on.

Can sitting cause pressure sores on the buttocks? Pressure relief techniques in a wheelchair

Yes, and sitting is the setting where most pressure injuries in wheelchair users begin. The sit bones, formally the ischial tuberosities, carry a large share of body weight in a seated position on a surface area not much bigger than two coins. The tailbone and the sacrum, the flat bone at the base of the spine, take the rest, especially if posture slumps.

MedlinePlus advises wheelchair users to shift weight every 15 to 30 minutes and to change position fully about every hour. Rehabilitation teams turn that advice into specific pressure relief techniques taught before discharge:

• A push-up lift: hands on the armrests or wheels, lifting the buttocks fully clear of the cushion for several seconds. This needs strong triceps and is not safe for everyone.
• A forward lean: chest toward the knees, which unloads the sit bones and shifts weight to the thighs. Often easier and safer than a lift.
• Side-to-side leans: shifting onto one hip, then the other, unloading each sit bone in turn.
• Tilt-in-space: on a power chair, tilting the whole seat back redistributes load to the back and thighs without changing hip angle.

Which method suits you depends on your level of injury, trunk control and balance, and your therapist will have matched the technique to your body. The point is not a single dramatic lift but regular, repeated unloading throughout the day.

Watch for slumping. As trunk muscles tire, the pelvis rolls backward and the sacrum takes load it was never meant to carry. Correcting posture after each transfer, and checking that the pelvis sits level and back in the chair, is part of pressure relief even though it does not feel like it.

Where pressure injuries form: the bony sites to watch

Knowing where to look turns a vague full-body scan into a targeted inspection. MedlinePlus, the Mayo Clinic and the NHS list the same cluster of sites, and they change with position. The table below groups them by when they carry load.

Position	Highest-risk sites	Why the site is vulnerable
Sitting	Sit bones, tailbone, sacrum	Small surface area carries most body weight; slumping adds shear over the sacrum
Lying on the back	Sacrum, heels, back of head, shoulder blades, elbows	Bone lies almost directly under skin; heels have minimal padding
Lying on the side	Hip bone (greater trochanter), outer ankle, outer knee, ear, shoulder	Full body weight concentrates on one narrow bony point
Any position	Under braces, splints, catheter tubing, clothing seams, wheelchair parts	Equipment creates focused pressure the person cannot feel

Equipment-related injuries catch people out. A leg bag strap pulled tight, a shoe that rubs a foot with no sensation, or a footplate edge pressing the calf can each cause damage indistinguishable from a classic bedsore. Part of the daily check is running a hand around anything strapped, buckled or resting against skin.

Two quieter zones deserve mention. The back of the head becomes a site for people spending long hours lying flat. And the ears, oddly, get injured in side-lying when a pillow folds them forward. Neither is common, but both are easy to miss if the routine only covers the obvious places.

Who this daily routine is for, and who is usually asked to hold back

Every person living with a spinal cord injury that affects sensation or movement is a candidate for this routine, regardless of whether the injury is complete or incomplete, recent or decades old. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke identifies pressure injuries among the most frequent long-term complications after spinal cord injury, and the risk does not fade with time. If anything, it grows as muscle bulk shrinks and skin ages.

People with some preserved sensation sometimes assume they are exempt. Partial sensation is not a reliable alarm. Someone who feels touch but not deep pressure, or who has patchy sensation on one side, still misses the warning signals that prompt intact skin to move.

Who is asked to wait? The waiting is usually about sitting rather than skin checks. After a new injury, or after surgery to repair an existing pressure injury, rehabilitation teams typically build sitting time up gradually, starting with short periods and checking skin after each session before extending. Someone with a current open sore over the sit bone is often asked to stay off that area entirely, which may mean bed rest or a specific side-lying schedule until the tissue has closed. Skipping this step because bed rest is frustrating is one of the commonest reasons a sore that was closing reopens.

People with an active infection, poorly controlled diabetes, very low body weight or significant swelling may also be told their skin is under more strain than usual and asked to check more frequently. The routine does not change in kind; it changes in intensity, and your team sets the dial.

What the first weeks at home usually look like

The transition from a rehabilitation unit to a kitchen table and a real bed is where routines either bed in or quietly fall apart. Nursing staff are no longer knocking on the door every two hours, and the day fills with appointments, visitors and the sheer work of living differently.

In the first week or two, most teams recommend keeping sitting time close to what was tolerated in the unit, and checking skin after every prolonged sit rather than only twice daily. New surfaces are a change: your home sofa, car seat and shower chair have not been assessed the way the rehab ward’s equipment was. A car journey home of two hours on a standard seat can leave a mark that a wheelchair cushion would have prevented.

Across the following weeks, sitting time is usually extended in steps, with skin as the deciding factor. The NHS describes early damage as skin that stays discolored and does not change color when pressed; if that appears after a longer sit, the extension pauses and the team is told. This is not failure. It is exactly the feedback loop the routine is designed to create.

Caregivers deserve their own learning curve. If a partner or family member will be checking skin or helping with turns, ask the team to watch them do it before discharge, and again at the first follow-up. Techniques that look simple on a ward bed feel different on a soft home mattress.

By around the second month, many people describe the check as automatic, folded into dressing and bedtime like brushing teeth. That is the goal, because the routine has to outlast motivation.

Cushions, mattresses and seating: what the evidence supports

A pressure-redistributing cushion is not a luxury add-on. It is medical equipment fitted to your body, and the NHS lists specially designed mattresses and cushions among the core measures for people at high risk of pressure injuries. That said, no cushion has been shown to make repositioning unnecessary, and manufacturers’ claims should be read with that in mind.

Cushions work by one of a few mechanisms. Foam cushions contour to the body and spread load across a wider area. Gel cushions do something similar with a flowing medium. Air cushions, whether a single chamber or many small cells, immerse the pelvis so that bony points sink in and softer tissue shares the load. Some combine materials. The right choice depends on your pelvic shape, weight, posture, transfer style and how reliably you can maintain the cushion, since an under-inflated air cushion offers almost no protection and needs regular checks.

Seating clinics use pressure mapping, a thin sensor mat that shows load distribution as a colour map, to compare cushions on an individual. The map does not predict a sore, but it shows peak pressures under the sit bones and how a given cushion or posture change shifts them. If you have never had this done, it is a reasonable thing to request at follow-up.

Mattresses follow the same logic. High-specification foam is standard for many at-risk people; alternating-pressure or low-air-loss surfaces are reserved for those who cannot reposition or who have existing damage. Sheepskins, ring-shaped “donut” cushions and rolled towels are specifically discouraged by MedlinePlus and the Mayo Clinic because they concentrate pressure at their edges.

Equipment ages. Foam compresses, air cells leak, and covers stiffen. Ask your team how often your cushion and mattress should be reassessed.

Moisture, bladder and bowel care: the skin side of continence

Skin that stays damp softens, a process clinicians call maceration, and macerated skin tears under friction that dry skin would shrug off. After spinal cord injury, bladder and bowel control are often changed, which puts urine and stool in contact with the very skin already under the most pressure. Sweating below the level of injury can be unpredictable too, so dampness is not only about continence.

Cleaning promptly after any leak matters more than the specific product. MedlinePlus advises washing with mild soap and warm water, patting rather than rubbing dry, and applying a moisturiser or barrier cream to protect skin from wetness. Harsh soaps and hot water strip natural oils; vigorous towelling creates friction. Barrier creams form a thin water-repellent film; they are not a substitute for cleaning, and a thick layer can interfere with the absorbency of continence pads.

Pads and briefs themselves cut both ways. They pull moisture away from skin, but a saturated pad left in place holds a warm, wet layer against the buttocks. Changing on a schedule, not only when a leak is noticed, and choosing breathable products, reduces that risk.

A well-managed bladder and bowel programme is therefore skin care by another name. If leaks are frequent, or the routine that worked in rehabilitation has stopped working at home, that is worth raising with the team rather than absorbing with extra pads. Urinary tract infections also deserve attention here: they can increase spasm and leakage, and a fever from any infection puts extra stress on tissue that is already borderline.

Finally, seams. Clothing seams, thick underwear elastic and wrinkled sheets each concentrate pressure and rub against damp skin. Smoothing the sheet after every turn is a small act with an outsized effect.

Food, fluids and skin: what nutrition actually does

Skin is a living organ that rebuilds itself constantly, and after spinal cord injury it works under handicap. Protein supplies the building blocks for collagen and new cells; the NHS and the Mayo Clinic both list a healthy, balanced diet and adequate fluids among the pillars of pressure injury prevention.

Weight cuts both ways. Being underweight thins the tissue over bony points. Carrying extra weight increases the load on those same points and can make transfers harder, adding shear. Neither extreme is a judgement; both are practical facts about load and padding, and a dietitian on the rehabilitation team can help find a target range that suits your frame and your activity level.

Fluid intake is often deliberately managed around bladder programmes, and that creates a tension. Too little fluid dries skin and concentrates urine, which irritates skin more when leaks occur. The answer is not to drink more or less on your own initiative but to raise the balance with the team managing your bladder.

Supplements attract strong claims. Vitamin C and zinc are involved in wound healing, and a genuine deficiency slows repair, but the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that extra intake beyond correcting a deficiency has not been shown to speed healing in people whose levels are already normal. Blood tests can identify a real shortfall; guessing cannot.

Smoking narrows small blood vessels and lowers the oxygen reaching skin. The Mayo Clinic lists it among factors that raise pressure injury risk and slow healing. If you smoke and want to stop, that is a conversation for your care team, who can point you to support.

Stages of pressure ulcers: what you are looking at

Clinicians grade pressure injuries into stages, and knowing the language helps you describe what you see accurately over the phone. The NHS and the Mayo Clinic describe four main stages plus two special categories.

Stage 1 is intact skin with a patch of non-blanching redness, meaning it stays red when pressed rather than turning white. On darker skin it may look purple, blue or simply darker than surrounding skin, and may feel warmer, cooler, firmer or softer than the area beside it. Stage 1 is the only stage where turning things around is largely a matter of taking pressure off and watching closely.

Stage 2 involves partial loss of the top skin layers: an open shallow wound, a blister or an abrasion. The base is pink and moist, without deeper tissue visible.

Stage 3 is full-thickness skin loss. Fat may be visible in the wound bed, and the wound can undermine the surrounding skin or tunnel sideways beneath the surface.

Stage 4 extends to muscle, tendon or bone. These wounds carry a risk of bone infection and often need surgical care.

Two extra categories matter for someone with reduced sensation. An unstageable injury is one covered by dead tissue or a hard scab so the depth cannot be judged. A deep tissue injury shows as a purple or maroon patch or a blood-filled blister over intact skin; it looks minor but signals damage in the deep tissue that can open into a large wound within days.

The practical lesson is that the surface can lie. A small dark spot over a sit bone may be the visible tip of a much deeper problem, which is why any discoloration that persists gets reported rather than watched.

What people often get wrong about preventing pressure sores

“If it does not hurt, it is fine.” This is the foundational misconception, and it is understandable, because it is how skin works for people with intact sensation. After spinal cord injury the absence of pain says nothing about tissue health. Damage is silent by definition.

“My cushion means I do not need to lift.” No cushion eliminates pressure; it redistributes it. MedlinePlus still advises weight shifts every 15 to 30 minutes for wheelchair users regardless of cushion type. The cushion buys tolerance, not immunity.

“A donut cushion takes pressure off the tailbone.” Ring cushions are specifically discouraged by both MedlinePlus and the Mayo Clinic. They relieve the centre while concentrating load on a ring of tissue around it, and they restrict blood flow to the very area they leave exposed.

“Massaging a red area brings the blood back.” Rubbing reddened skin adds friction and shear to tissue that is already compromised. The NHS advice is to take pressure off, not to rub.

“Once my skin has toughened up, I can sit longer.” Skin does not become armour. Tolerance can be built gradually under supervision, but healed scar tissue over a previous sore is weaker than the original skin and remains a site of higher risk for life.

“Sitting up in bed is safer than lying down.” A raised bed head encourages sliding, which drags the sacrum across the sheet. Long periods propped up can be harder on the sacrum than lying flat with a proper turning schedule.

“I had a small red patch and it went away, so I am fine.” A patch that fades within about 30 minutes off pressure is a warning that the load exceeded what the tissue could take. It is information, and the routine that let it happen deserves a second look.

Living with the routine long term: heat, travel and getting older

The daily check does not retire. Years after injury, the same pressure points remain, and a few changes make them more vulnerable rather than less.

Heat is the first. Skin temperature rises with prolonged sitting, and warm, sweaty tissue tolerates pressure less well. In hot weather or a warm car, breaks from sitting may need to be more frequent than usual. Cold matters too: skin with poor circulation can be damaged by contact with a cold surface in a way the person never feels.

Travel compresses risk into long stretches on unfamiliar surfaces. Aircraft seats, car seats and hotel beds are not the equipment your team assessed. Many people bring their own cushion onto the plane, plan aisle-side weight shifts, and check skin at the end of any journey longer than their usual sitting block. Fluid and continence routines shift with time zones, adding a moisture risk.

Illness of any kind strains skin. Fever, infection, dehydration and low mood all reduce the body’s tolerance for pressure, and low mood in particular erodes the will to keep checking. Depression after spinal cord injury is common, and telling your team that the routine has slipped is not confessing a failing; it is giving them the information they need.

Ageing thins skin, reduces fat padding and slows healing. Weight changes alter how the pelvis sits on a cushion that was fitted years ago. The NHS advises regular reassessment of pressure-relieving equipment for anyone at ongoing risk, and a seating review every year or two, or after any significant change in weight or function, is a reasonable standard to ask for.

People who have had one pressure injury are at higher risk of another, partly because healed tissue is structurally weaker. If that describes you, the routine tightens rather than relaxes.

Questions to ask your care team about skin checks after spinal cord injury

Rehabilitation appointments are short and the list of topics is long. Arriving with specific questions about skin makes the time count. These are the ones seasoned patients and nurses tend to raise:

• Which pressure relief techniques are safe for my level of injury and trunk control, and how many seconds should each one last?
• What is my current sitting-time limit, and what should I see on my skin before I extend it?
• How often should I turn in bed, and which positions do you want me to rotate through?
• Was my cushion pressure-mapped, and when should it be reassessed? How do I check that it is inflated or intact correctly?
• What does early damage look like on my skin tone, and can you show me a photo or describe it?
• If I find a red patch that does not blanch, exactly whom do I contact, and how quickly?
• How should my bladder and bowel routine change if I notice skin irritation on the buttocks?
• Do I need any blood tests to check for nutritional shortfalls that could affect skin?
• What equipment do I need for my car, sofa and shower chair, and who assesses those?
• Who can teach my partner or caregiver to do the check and the turns, and can you watch them practise?

Write the answers down. Advice about sitting limits and turning schedules is individual, and memory blurs after a long clinic visit. If two members of the team give slightly different numbers, ask them to agree on one so you have a single plan to follow at home.

A final question worth asking: “What are the signs that I should stop sitting entirely and call you the same day?” The answer should be concrete, and it leads directly into the next section.

When to call your doctor: red-flag signs after spinal cord injury

Most of this routine is about catching small changes early, and the threshold for reporting them should be low. Contact your rehabilitation team, spinal cord injury nurse or family doctor the same day if you notice any of the following:

• A red, purple or dark patch over a bony area that does not fade within about 30 minutes of taking pressure off, or that does not turn white when pressed.
• Any break in the skin, blister or open area, however small, over a pressure point.
• A patch that feels boggy, firm, warmer or cooler than the skin beside it, even if the colour looks normal.
• Increasing drainage, pus, a bad smell or spreading redness around an existing wound.
• Fever, chills or feeling generally unwell with any skin change, which can signal infection spreading beyond the skin.
• New or worsening spasms, sweating or a pounding headache with a rise in blood pressure, which in people with injuries at or above the mid-chest can indicate autonomic dysreflexia, a dangerous reflex that a pressure injury or tight clothing can trigger.

Seek emergency care without waiting for a callback if you have a high fever with confusion or drowsiness, if a wound is bleeding heavily, or if you have a severe headache with very high blood pressure that does not settle after removing tight clothing and sitting upright. The Mayo Clinic lists cellulitis, bone and joint infection and sepsis among the complications of pressure injuries, and each is far easier to manage when caught early.

Do not sit on a suspected pressure injury while waiting to be seen, unless your team tells you otherwise. Take the load off, keep the area clean and dry, photograph it if you can, and let the people who know your history make the call about what happens next. Every decision about treatment sits with them, and they would far rather hear about a false alarm than a wound that was watched for a week.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main strategies for preventing pressure injuries after spinal cord injury?

The core strategies are regular repositioning, daily skin inspection, pressure-redistributing cushions and mattresses, keeping skin clean and dry, good nutrition and hydration, and avoiding smoking. Guidelines from the NHS and MedlinePlus describe these as a bundle rather than a menu; each one covers a gap the others leave, and none replaces the two-hour turns and frequent weight shifts your rehabilitation team taught.

How often should I change my position to prevent a pressure ulcer?

MedlinePlus advises turning at least every two hours in bed and shifting weight every 15 to 30 minutes in a wheelchair, with a fuller position change about every hour. These are typical ranges for people at high risk, not promises; your team may set shorter intervals early after injury, during illness or if your skin is already showing strain, and their schedule overrides any general figure.

Can sitting cause pressure sores on the buttocks?

Yes. Sitting concentrates body weight on the sit bones, tailbone and sacrum, which are the most common sites of pressure injury in wheelchair users. Slumping adds shear over the sacrum, and heat and moisture from prolonged sitting soften the skin. Regular pressure relief techniques, a properly fitted cushion and correcting posture after each transfer all reduce that risk, though none removes it entirely.

What pressure relief techniques can I use in a wheelchair?

Common techniques include a push-up lift clearing the buttocks off the cushion, a forward lean toward the knees, side-to-side leans onto each hip, and tilt-in-space on a power chair. Which is safe depends on your level of injury, arm strength and trunk balance. Your therapist should demonstrate and check your technique, since a poorly executed lift can cause shear or a fall.

How do I do a skin check after spinal cord injury if I cannot see my back?

A long-handled mirror lets many people view their tailbone, sit bones and heels; some use a phone camera with a timer or a caregiver’s eyes. Check in good light, feel each bony area for warmth, coolness or bogginess compared with skin nearby, and press any red patch to see whether it blanches white. The Cleveland Clinic recommends checking twice daily, morning and night.

What are the stages of pressure ulcers?

Stage 1 is intact skin with non-blanching redness or discoloration. Stage 2 is partial skin loss, such as a shallow open wound or blister. Stage 3 is full-thickness skin loss with fat visible. Stage 4 reaches muscle, tendon or bone. Unstageable injuries are covered by dead tissue, and deep tissue injuries appear as dark purple patches over intact skin that can open rapidly.

Does a special cushion mean I can skip weight shifts?

No. Cushions redistribute pressure across a wider area but cannot eliminate it, and no cushion has been shown to make repositioning unnecessary. MedlinePlus still advises weight shifts every 15 to 30 minutes regardless of cushion type. Air cushions also need regular inflation checks, because an under-inflated cushion offers little protection while feeling much the same to someone without sensation.

Should I massage a red area to bring the blood back?

No. Rubbing reddened skin adds friction and shear to tissue that has already lost normal blood flow, and the NHS advises against massaging pressure areas. Take the pressure off, keep the area clean and dry, and watch whether the redness fades within about 30 minutes. If it does not, or if it does not blanch when pressed, contact your care team the same day.

Why do people with darker skin need to check differently?

Early pressure damage is defined by redness in many guidelines, but on darker skin the change may appear purple, blue, or as a patch that is simply darker or shinier than surrounding skin. Colour alone can be missed. Comparing temperature, firmness and texture with adjacent skin, and using good light, gives a more reliable picture, which is why teams teach a hands-on check rather than a glance.

Does eating more protein or taking vitamins prevent pressure sores?

A balanced diet with adequate protein and fluids supports skin repair, and both the NHS and Mayo Clinic list good nutrition among prevention measures. Correcting a genuine deficiency in vitamin C or zinc helps healing, but the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that extra intake beyond normal levels has not been shown to speed healing. A dietitian can check whether you have a shortfall.

References

• MedlinePlus: Preventing pressure ulcers
• NHS: Pressure ulcers (pressure sores)
• Cleveland Clinic: Pressure injuries (bedsores)
• NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Spinal cord injury

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.