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Leg ulcer symptoms and treatment
Chronic leg ulcers are long-lasting sores that don’t heal well. We explain how the pain and swelling is treated.
What are leg ulcers?
Leg ulcers are chronic sores on your legs that take more than two weeks to heal, often appearing between your knee and ankle. These sores might be painful, itchy or swollen, and can be surrounded by redness or dry skin. Leg ulcers also often seep, discharging fluid or pus.
Leg ulcers often develop after a minor injury if you have circulatory problems. Over time, high pressure in your leg veins can damage the blood vessels in your skin and make it fragile. This means that your skin can easily scratch or break and form an ulcer that takes a long time to heal.
MAnagement of LeG Ulcers
Symptoms and diagnosis
Venous disease (problems with the functioning of the veins) is the most common cause of leg ulcers. Damage to the valves in your veins can cause blood to flow in the wrong direction, creating high pressure in the veins which damages the skin and leads to ulcers.
Sometimes, leg ulcers are caused by artery problems, or arterial disease, or by conditions such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.
The main symptoms associated with leg ulcers are:
- pain
- itching
- swelling
- foul-smelling discharge
- hard skin
- discolouration of the skin
Diagnosis usually involves an examination of the affected leg. Your medical history will also be taken into account. People who have experienced any of the following are at a higher risk of developing venous leg ulcers:
deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- osteoarthritis
- leg injuries
- obesity
- paralysis
- varicose veins
- if you've recently had an operation on your leg
A test called a doppler study may also be used to rule out peripheral arterial disease being the cause of the ulcer. Your consultant will measure the blood pressure in the arteries around your ankles to check that it isn’t lower than the blood pressure in your arms
Your nurse or consultant will ensure the ulcer is kept clean and well-dressed to encourage it to heal. A firm compression bandage may be used to improve vein circulation - this will need to be changed weekly by trained medical professionals.
If you have a venous leg ulcer, it’s important to keep your leg raised to help lower the pressure in the leg veins. You can easily do this at regular intervals to help with the swelling in your legs and ankles. Keeping active and walking around will also help.
You may be prescribed antibiotics if your ulcer becomes infected. In rare cases, when the ulcers are large or do not heal, surgery may be required.
What happens at a leg ulcer clinic?
Treatment for Leg Ulcers
A leg ulcer clinic offers evidence-based treatments for leg ulcers in line with the most recent NICE guidelines, including:
- Compression therapy
- Advanced dressings
- Adjunct therapies such as topical oxygen therapy and negative pressure wound therapy
- Immediate access to a vascular consultant for surgical options, if needed
Throughout your treatment at the leg ulcer clinic, we’ll ensure you receive expert and consistent care from our multidisciplinary team of clinicians, with connections to an array of different specialists who can provide additional advice if needed.
After treatment, leg ulcers usually take around 12 weeks to heal. During this time, we’ll regularly monitor your progress to make sure you’re healing well, to quickly catch any potential complications that could arise and to reduce the chance of your ulcer coming back. If you have any conditions that might make this process take a little longer, such as peripheral arterial disease, we’ll monitor your progress a little more closely to make sure you’re healing well.
Once your wound has healed, we’ll continue to check for any signs of infection and make sure that your ulcer hasn’t returned. We’ll also give you advice on how to manage your condition to help reduce the chances of it reoccurring.
The Leg Ulcer Clinic at London Bridge Hospital
Our leg ulcer clinic at London Bridge Hospital can offer you an immediate assessment of any chronic lower limb wounds, giving you access to early treatment for any chronic wounds and ongoing care for leg ulcers.
If you have a leg ulcer and choose to visit our clinic, you’ll be assessed by Tissue Viability Clinical Nurse Specialist Vennessa Lee, who will identify the cause of your ulcer. If it’s showing any signs of deterioration, you’ll be escalated to our multidisciplinary team of vascular specialists and referred for further vascular, dermatological and general medical assessments. We’ll determine the best course of action to get your leg ulcer treated, considering any additional health conditions you may have that could affect your treatment. Our main goal at the clinic is to get you back to your every day life as much as possible and help you with ways to manage your condition to prevent it reoccurring in the future.
If you would like to make an appointment, just complete our referral form and we’ll contact you with further details about your appointment.
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.