Bedsores are also called decubitus ulcers, pressure ulcers, or pressure sores. These tender or inflamed patches develop when skin covering a weight-bearing part of the body is squeezed between bone and another body part, or a bed, chair, splint, or other hard object.

Each year, about one million people in the United States develop bedsores ranging from a mild inflammation to deep wounds that involve muscle and bone. This often painful condition usually starts with shiny red skin that quickly blisters and deteriorates into open sores that can harbor life-threatening infection.

Bedsores are not cancerous or contagious. They are most likely to occur in people who must use wheelchairs or who are confined to bed. People over the age of 60 are more likely than younger people to develop bedsores. Risk is also increased by atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), diabetes, diminished sensation or lack of feeling, heart problems, inability...