Recently, I have had patients seek me out for wound care.  When they ask me if I can help them, I’m sure I get a dumbfounded look on my face – I am, after all, a neuromusculoskeletal doctor – before I answer “sure” and reach DEEP into my memories for how to address wounds.  I remembered some things and have had to relearn others.  And…, the patient numbers are increasing, and the results are amazing…

My first case has been a patient for years.  He is a super guy and we have the best chats when he comes in for a treatment.  One afternoon he asked me if I could look at a wound on his leg that was not healing.  He had cut it eight weeks earlier, went to the ER, had stitches, and the stitches had broken open before they were ready to be removed.  The doctor told him to let it heal on its own, but seven more weeks and two rounds of antibiotics later, the wound was still open and red enough around its edges that I feared infection was right around the corner. I decided that I would try ozone on the wound and see what happened.  After a 20 minute application, the wound was pink around the edges and looked dramatically different.  I sent him home with ozonated oil to apply to the wound and asked him to come back in a week.  One week later, the wound was pink, filled in with granulation tissue (part of the healing) and looked great.  One week after that it was all healed up and looked fabulous.  I was amazed.

My second case was a young boy who had a puncture wound on his leg.  It had happened a few days prior to his visit and his mom asked me if I could do anything to help. Luckily, my patient described above had come in just the week before…. I tried ozone with a new delivery system and oil on this boys wound as well.  His wound healed in a week.  I began to gain a bit of confidence.  Perhaps the first patient was not a random miracle.

My third case involved a woman with a plethora of medical conditions.  Heart disease, kidney problems, high blood pressure, pain in her legs…she had a good deal of stuff to work on.  Her most pressing concern, because it woke her up at night, was a wound on her leg that had been present for two months and was not healing.  Ozone and ozonated oil to the rescue again.  Her wound is on the mend and now we can tackle her other medical issues.

Three wound cases, three successes.  Although, I don’t feel super skilled at treating wounds, I am looking forward to brushing up more on my wound care skills and helping out more patients.  It is nice to see their faces when their skin mends and they can return to their normal lives.