What injuries are caused by shearing?

Pressure injuries, or pressure ulcers, are caused by shearing, friction, moisture, and pressure. These injuries affect many patients every year, particularly those who have limited mobility. Risk factors for pressure injuries are the same as for skin tears.

What does shearing mean in medical terms?

Shear is defined as force generated when the skin is moved against a fixed surface such as a bony skeleton moving in an opposite direction to the surface skin. It is important to note that any pressure injury that is accompanied by other forces (shear and friction) will result in a debilitating tissue injury3.

What does shearing of the skin mean?

A combination of downward pressure AND friction. It occurs at the deeper layers of tissue resulting in cell deformation and cell death. Shear is one of the major causes of skin breakdown in sitting and occurs during transfers, reaching, weight shifts or repositioning.

What is a shearing brain injury?

Diffuse axonal injury is the shearing (tearing) of the brain’s long connecting nerve fibers (axons) that happens when the brain is injured as it shifts and rotates inside the bony skull. DAI usually causes coma and injury to many different parts of the brain.

What does a skin tear look like?

Skin tears often look like a big cut or scrape. They might be totally open or have a skin flap that partially covers the wound.

Is a shear injury a pressure ulcer?

Friction and shear are mechanical forces contributing to pressure ulcer formation. The tissue injury resulting from these forces may look like a superficial skin insult.

What is the process of shearing?

Shearing, also known as die cutting, is a process that cuts stock without the formation of chips or the use of burning or melting. Strictly speaking, if the cutting blades are straight the process is called shearing; if the cutting blades are curved then they are shearing-type operations.

What does skin shearing look like?

Dragging skin across surfaces can cause this separation of layers. Shearing appears as discoloration on the skin, much like a friction injury or pressure injury, but it is much deeper in the tissue. The body responds in the same way as with a friction injury with pain, spasticity increases, and AD.

How do I stop my skin from shearing?

Use pillows or wedges behind your back and between bony areas, such as knees and ankles. “Float” your heels and ankles off of the bed by supporting your lower leg with a pillow. Keep the head of the bed up less than 30 degrees to prevent shearing of skin from sliding down or the need to be pulled back up.

What causes brain shearing?

It happens when the brain rapidly shifts inside the skull as an injury is occurring. The long connecting fibers in the brain called axons are sheared as the brain rapidly accelerates and decelerates inside the hard bone of the skull.

Is shearing a pressure injury?

‘ Shearing is pressure and friction, injuring the skin at the same time. It happens more often than people realize because it is so easy to occur.

How long does it take for skin tears to heal?

An uncomplicated skin tear is an acute wound that will go on to heal within approximately 4 weeks.