Pressure care is rarely a one-size-fits-all challenge. For people with reduced mobility, prolonged periods of sitting or lying can place particular areas of the body under sustained pressure. Bony prominences such as the heels, back of the head, elbows and other areas with relatively little natural soft-tissue protection can be especially vulnerable.
This is why targeted pressure care is becoming an increasingly important part of a comprehensive pressure injury prevention strategy.
Rather than considering pressure management only in terms of mattresses, cushions or large support surfaces, clinicians and carers can also identify individual areas of vulnerability and introduce pressure care products designed specifically around the anatomy they need to protect.
At Gel Ovations, this approach can be seen in products including HeelGel and Gel Donuts – two medical-grade silicone solutions developed to provide localised pressure redistribution and protection where it is needed most.
Why Bony Prominences Need Particular Attention
Pressure injuries can develop when skin and underlying tissues are exposed to prolonged or excessive pressure, particularly where the body is compressed between a bony prominence and an external support surface.
For an individual lying in bed, for example, the heels and back of the head may remain in contact with the supporting surface for extended periods. In a wheelchair, shower chair or other piece of equipment, different parts of the body may also come into repeated contact with hard frames, armrests, foot supports and positioning components.
The challenge therefore is not simply to provide a comfortable surface beneath the person. Effective pressure care involves considering where pressure, friction and shear are occurring across the whole body.
This is where body-specific pressure care solutions can play an important role.
HeelGel: Targeted Pressure Relief for the Heels
The heel is a particularly challenging area for pressure care.
HeelGel Protector
With limited soft tissue between the skin and the calcaneus – or heel bone – sustained pressure can place vulnerable tissue at risk, particularly for people who are immobile or spend extended periods in a supine position.
Gel Ovations HeelGel has been designed specifically to provide heel offloading and pressure redistribution.
Manufactured from medical-grade silicone, HeelGel gently conforms around the foot and ankle while elevating the heel away from the supporting surface. This helps reduce direct pressure on the heel while supporting stable lower-limb positioning.
HeelGel can be used across a variety of clinical and care environments, including:
- Hospital beds
- Home beds
- Operating tables
- Changing tables
- Shower trolleys
- Other clinical support surfaces
Its non-slip surface helps maintain positioning without complex fixation, while the medical-grade silicone construction provides a durable and easy-to-clean solution suitable for repeated use.
For clinicians and carers, the important distinction is that HeelGel is not simply another general cushioning product. Its form and function have been developed around a specific anatomical pressure care problem: protecting and offloading the heel.
Gel Donuts: Localised Protection Around Vulnerable Areas
The same targeted principle can be applied to other parts of the body.
Gel Ovations Gel Donuts are manufactured from medical-grade silicone and provide a cooling, conformable surface designed to ease and offload pressure around vulnerable areas.
Their circular design enables the surrounding area to be supported while providing localised relief around the central area.
GelDonuts
Although particularly useful for positioning and protecting the head, Gel Donuts are versatile and can also be used around areas such as the elbows, heels and other bony prominences where skin may be vulnerable.
Available in two sizes, they give clinicians and carers greater flexibility when responding to individual positioning and pressure care requirements.
This ability to choose a product according to the specific part of the body at risk is an important development in practical pressure management.
From General Pressure Redistribution to Targeted Protection
Body-specific products such as HeelGel and Gel Donuts do not replace broader pressure redistribution solutions. Instead, they complement them.
Gel Ovations Dimensional Gel Pads, for example, provide a larger pressure-redistributing surface that contours to the body. Their open-cell structure also promotes airflow, while the supple silicone gel helps reduce shear and friction.
A person may therefore benefit from a Dimensional Gel solution beneath a larger area of the body while also requiring additional targeted protection at a particularly vulnerable anatomical location.
This creates a more comprehensive approach to pressure care:
support the whole person while paying particular attention to individual areas of risk.
It is an approach that can be adapted as a person’s needs, positioning and equipment change.
Targeted Pressure Care Doesn’t Stop at the Bed
The principle becomes even more apparent when we consider pressure care across the entire day.
A person who requires pressure management while lying in bed may also spend time in a wheelchair, shower chair, commode or other mobility and personal-care equipment.
Each environment creates different points of contact. A wheelchair user, for example, may experience contact around the arms, elbows, hips, legs or feet. In a shower chair, vulnerable skin can come into contact with arm brackets, footplates, leg supports, frames and other hard components.
Gel Ovations has developed a wide range of wheelchair and shower chair pressure care accessories specifically to address these localised contact points.
Gel arm supports, wraps, foot protectors, footboxes, overlays and other accessories allow pressure care to be applied to individual parts of existing equipment – and therefore to individual parts of the body.
The underlying philosophy is the same as HeelGel and Gel Donuts: identify the area of vulnerability and apply pressure care where it is required.
Building a 24-Hour Pressure Care Strategy
For people at risk of pressure injuries, pressure management should not end when they leave the bed.
Moving from bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to shower chair, or onto a changing or clinical surface changes the pressure environment around the individual.
A comprehensive pressure care strategy should therefore consider the person’s journey throughout the day.
That might mean combining:
- Dimensional Gel for larger-area pressure redistribution
- HeelGel for targeted heel offloading
- Gel Donuts for localised positioning and protection
- Wheelchair accessories to protect vulnerable contact points while seated
- Shower chair accessories to provide additional protection during bathing and personal care
This layered approach allows pressure care to follow the individual rather than being associated with one particular piece of equipment.
Small Areas Can Require Significant Attention
One of the most important lessons in pressure care is that the size of an area does not necessarily reflect the level of risk.
A heel, elbow or small area at the back of the head represents only a small proportion of the body’s total surface area, yet it can become a significant pressure care concern when sustained pressure is concentrated over a bony prominence.
Targeted products give clinicians and carers another tool for responding to these localised risks.
They can also help avoid unnecessary bulk. Instead of adding large amounts of general cushioning, a purpose-designed product can provide protection precisely where it is required while supporting positioning and everyday care.
A More Individual Approach to Pressure Care
Every person’s pressure care requirements are different.
Mobility, posture, anatomy, skin condition, equipment, care environment and daily routine all influence where pressure risks may develop.
The next generation of pressure care therefore isn’t necessarily about making products larger or adding more padding. It is about becoming more precise.
Products such as HeelGel and Gel Donuts demonstrate how pressure care can be shaped around particular areas of the body, while Gel Ovations’ wider range of Dimensional Gel pads, wheelchair accessories and shower chair accessories extends the same principle across seating, mobility and personal care.
By combining broad pressure redistribution with carefully selected body-specific solutions, clinicians and carers can build a more individualised approach to protecting vulnerable skin.
Because when it comes to pressure care, sometimes the smallest areas need the most attention.
Find Out More
Discover Gel Ovations HeelGel for targeted heel offloading and pressure redistribution, or explore Gel Donuts for localised pressure care and positioning around vulnerable bony prominences.
Gel Ovations also provides Dimensional Gel pressure care pads and an extensive range of wheelchair and shower chair accessories, helping clinicians and carers build pressure care solutions around the individual – throughout the day.
