Chronic or non-healing leg or foot ulcers are a significant medical problem among adults. In fact, approximately 1 percent of the population will have them at some point. These ulcers are wounds that just won’t go away, often beginning as small scrapes or cuts that continue to progress to large tissue defects of several centimeters or more.
Eighty percent of these wounds are actually caused by underlying superficial venous insufficiency. This happens when the damaged veins cause abnormally high blood pressure in the veins which damages the skin on the lower legs and ankles, and eventually leads to ulcers. The ulcers themselves are breaks in the skin of the leg, which allow air and bacteria to penetrate to underlying tissue.
Symptoms
Patients should be on the lookout for these early signs of venous insufficiency:
Swelling and/or heaviness that worsens over the course of the day
Pain or cramping that worsens over the course of the day
Cramping at night relieved by elevation or walking
Varicose veins or prominent spider veins
Darkening of the skin in the ankle and/or calf
Additionally, if you have any of the following symptoms, Dr. Gropper and his staff can evaluate and recommend appropriate treatment:
A vein sore or sores aka venous ulcers
An ulcer on your leg, foot, toe or ankle
Diabetic related chronic ulcers or sores that are not healing
Stasis dermatitis
Other nonhealing ulcerations, sores or wounds
Treatment
At Vivid Vascular, our goal is to treat the external ulcer(s) while also treating the root cause.
DIAGNOSTIC TESTING
The first step is to use non-invasive diagnostic testing to determine the extent of your injury and any underlying causes, and then to formulate a proper treatment protocol.
COMPRESSION
Next, we will control the high pressure in the leg veins, usually through compression bandages or stockings.
DRESSINGS
Next, depending on the state of the ulcer(s), medication and special dressings will be applied.
VEIN TREATMENT
Since the underlying cause of these types of ulcers is varicose veins, it’s important to eliminate the source. Click hereto learn more about our varicose vein treatment options.
Make An Appointment Online
For your convenience, we now make it even easier for you to schedule your visit to Vivid Vascular by booking your appointment online. Simply select a date and time that is convenient for you and provide us with the requested information. One of our friendly patient care coordinators will reach out to you via your preferred contact method to confirm your appointment.