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Early warning signs of a pressure sore that people miss — what should I check daily? · Sahaay

Early warning signs of a pressure sore that people miss — what should I check daily?

Skin & pressure careMeera (caregiver)last month2217 views

I look after my brother (C6 complete, injured 3 years ago). We do pressure relief every 30 minutes when he is in his chair and turn him every 3 hours at night.

Last month a stage 1 sore appeared on his sacrum and I only noticed once it had already darkened. What is the daily check routine that actually catches these early? Any tips on checking areas that are hard to see?

#pressure-sore
#caregiving
#daily-routine

Community experience, not medical advice. Check anything clinical with your own doctor.

2 answers

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Daily routine that catches most things early:
- Twice a day, every day — morning and before bed, not only when something feels off.
- Use a long-handled mirror for sacrum, ischial tuberosities and heels. A phone camera on a selfie stick works just as well and lets you compare photos week to week.
- Look for colour that does not blanch. Press gently for 3 seconds; if the redness stays instead of going white and refilling, treat it as stage 1 and get the pressure off that area completely.
- On darker skin, redness is unreliable. Go by temperature difference, firmness, and a boggy or swollen feel compared to the other side.
- Photograph anything suspicious with the date. It is the only honest way to tell whether it is improving.
The area you missed — sacrum — is exactly the one people miss, because it is the hardest to see and it takes the load in bed. If it happens again, keep him fully off that surface, not just repositioned.
Shalini (nurse, 15 years in rehab)last month
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9
Following up two weeks later for anyone who finds this: the mirror-and-photo habit found a second early spot on his heel that we would definitely have missed. Heel offloading boots at night fixed it in about ten days.
Meera (caregiver)3 weeks ago
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