Start with what your treating clinician says

Working with a wound is realistic for many people, but the details depend on where the wound is, what caused it and what your job asks of your body. Desk work with a healing incision on the abdomen is a different situation from warehouse shifts with an ulcer on the bottom of the foot.

Your treating clinician decides when you can return and with what limits. Bring up work early so the plan for the wound and the plan for your job are made together.

Describe your job in detail

A clinician can only give useful work instructions if they know what a normal shift looks like. Before your next visit, write down:

  • How many hours you stand, walk, sit or drive, and how long you go without a break
  • What you lift, push, pull or carry, and how heavy it is
  • Whether you climb, kneel, squat or reach overhead
  • The footwear, uniform or protective gear your job requires
  • Exposure to heat, cold, water, dirt, chemicals or food
  • Whether there is a clean, private place to rest or check a dressing

Ask for work instructions in writing

Ask the clinician’s office for a note that lists what you can and cannot do. A useful note is specific about:

  • Limits on standing, walking, lifting or other tasks
  • Devices you must wear, such as compression or an offloading boot
  • Breaks you need, for example to raise your legs
  • Time away for wound care visits
  • The date the limits will be reviewed

Your employer usually needs to know your limits, not your diagnosis. Ask the office to leave medical detail off the note unless you want it there. Leave, disability benefits and workplace adjustments have their own rules and forms, which vary by employer, and human resources can explain them.

Talk with your employer about adjustments

Bring the note and specific, time-limited requests to your supervisor or human resources. Depending on the job, you might ask about:

  • Seated or lighter tasks
  • Shorter shifts or a gradual return
  • An exception to footwear or uniform rules
  • A stool, a different workstation or work from home
  • A changed schedule on visit days

If the job cannot be adjusted enough for you to follow your instructions, tell the clinician before you go back.

Protect the wound during the workday

For a foot wound, the hours on your feet matter most. Wear the offloading device exactly as directed, including at work, and read our guide to moving safely with a foot wound. Work boots and safety shoes can rub or press on a wound, so ask about footwear before your first shift. Our page on offloading for foot wounds explains why pressure relief matters.

For a leg wound, long periods of standing or sitting with your feet down add to swelling. If compression was ordered, wear it through the shift, and see the guide to keeping compression wraps comfortable. For a post-surgical wound, keep to the lifting and movement limits you were given.

Ask the clinician what to do if a dressing gets wet, dirty or loose at work, and keep only those approved items in a small kit.

Fit visits and follow-up around your schedule

Visits are easy to miss once work starts again, and missed visits mean problems are found later. Tell the clinician’s office and Gateway your work hours. Gateway coordinates scheduling with partner clinicians, and mobile wound care brings the visit to your home in Greater St. Louis and the Metro East. Availability depends on your location and care setting.

A new routine also changes meals, sleep and medicine timing. Our page on primary care and wound care together explains how a primary care clinician fits in. To ask about arranging care, send the request care form or call 314-325-0126.

Signs that work is setting the wound back

Tell your treating clinician if, after you return, you notice:

  • More drainage, or dressings soaked through by the end of a shift
  • More swelling in the foot or leg than before
  • New pain, or pain that builds through the day
  • Redness, warmth or odor around the wound
  • Blisters or sore spots from footwear or gear

Our guide to describing wound changes to your care team can help you report them. Call 911 for heavy bleeding that does not stop with firm pressure, chest pain, trouble breathing or sudden confusion.

Common questions

Do I have to tell my employer I have a wound?

In most situations you choose how much to share, and the clinician’s written work limits are usually enough. Some jobs have their own reporting rules, for example in food service or health care. If you are unsure, ask human resources what information they need and why.

Can I work on my feet with a diabetic foot ulcer?

That is a question for your treating clinician, and the answer is often cautious. Pressure from standing and walking is a main reason these ulcers are slow to close, and reduced feeling in the feet can hide new damage. Ask how much standing is allowed, which device you must wear and whether seated duty is safer for now.

What should I do if my dressing leaks or comes off at work?

Follow the instructions your clinician gave you for that situation, using only the supplies they approved. If you were not given instructions, cover the area with a clean, dry dressing and call the office. Tell them if it happens more than once, since the dressing or the way it is secured may need to change.

Will going back to work slow my healing?

It depends on the wound and the job. Work that puts pressure on the wound, keeps your legs down for hours or leads you to skip dressing changes and visits can slow progress. Work that fits within your instructions may not affect healing at all.

Related pages

General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.

Updated October 2026