In this qualitative study, which aimed to capture and analyze the representations of the body injured, it were collected, through in-depth interviews, the discourses of eighteen adults, with chronic wounds, users of an outpatient service of a public hospital in the city of Salvador-BA, that cares of wounded individuals. From the analysis of the statements, through Thematic Content Analysis, emerged the following categories, related to the wounded body: It is a strange that promotes suffering; It is constantly watched; It is rejected; It is a prisoner; It is vulnerable to violence; It requires special care, and It is a body in grief. Such representations are anchored in negative images and suffering, and reveal that, very different from the idealized body, the wounded body promotes mixed feelings and self-deprecating. The results showed that people with chronic wounds consider their own bodies as awkward; they experience negative feelings about their image, and mobilize alternatives for self-care and personal presentation, distinct from those activated before chronic state.
Chronic Disease; Human Body; Body Image; Holistic Nursing