What Is The Remedy For Sores On The Middle Of The Butt?

Posted on Thu, 6 Feb 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 6 Feb 2014 Answered on

Thu, 6 Mar 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : My husband has sores on the middle of his butt due to lying in bed too long. What cream or powder can be used to heal these as he claims his bottom hurts sooo bad. They are on both sides of his upper crack, looks like they could split open and bleed. We are trying to get him to move from side to side. He has had 45 minutes of CRP and ribs and all are cracked so it is not comfortable to lay on his side with his chest so sore.

Answered by Dr. Jorge Brenes-Salazar (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Special mattress, repositioning every 2 hours Detailed Answer: Dear patient, Thanks for the query. This is a pressure ulcer, and the best course of action would be for a nurse with experience in wounds (they usually have even more experience than us doctors) to take a look, stage the ulcer, and come up with the supplies that will be needed for healing. It is not advisable just to use "any" over the counter cream. The most important issue is avoiding pressure in the area, so as you are saying, repositioning everyy two hours helps with healing. There are also special mattreses that are used in these cases, but many times getting insurance approval may be tough. Hope that helps, wish you the best, Dr Brenes-Salazar MD Mayo Clinic MN

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar