Exercise intervention in the management of venous leg ulcers: a review

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are the most common etiology of lower extremity ulceration, with approximately 70 to 80 percent of leg ulcers developing from venous insufficiency or disease. The financial burden of VLUs on society, increase in prevalence with age, the chronic nature of the disorder, and high recidivism rate are, in part, the driving forces behind efforts to determine the most effective management options to achieve complete wound healing in a timely and efficient manner. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe the etiology, diagnosis, and management of VLUs, with a particular emphasis on exercise intervention. While medical treatment of VLUs include wound debridement, infection control, and proper wound dressing, compression therapy and elevation are the most common and effective treatment option for VLUs. When combined with routine compression therapy, exercise intervention (e.g., aerobic, resistance, and flexibility exercises) significantly improves the healing of VLUs in a cost efficient manner and should be strongly considered in the routine management of patients with VLUs. Article visualizations: