EXTERNAL ULCERS
What are External Ulcers?
Ulcers are breaks in the layers of the skin that fail to heal. They may be accompanied by inflammation. Sometimes they don't heal and become chronic. Chronic foot and leg ulcers mainly affect the elderly. People with diabetes are at special risk of developing foot ulcers, and foot care is an important part of diabetes management.
What causes Ulceration?
The most common cause of chronic leg ulcers is poor blood circulation in the legs. These are known as arterial and venous leg ulcers. Other causes include: |
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injuries - traumatic ulcers
diabetes - because of poor blood circulation or loss of sensation (nerve damage) resulting in pressure ulcers
certain skin conditions
vascular diseases (stroke, angina, heart attack)
tumours
infections.
Approximatley 10% of Ulcers are Arterial leg Ulcers
Feet and legs often feel cold and may have a whitish or bluish, shiny appearance. Arterial leg ulcers can be painful.
 What causes arterial leg ulcers?
Arteries are the tubes that carry blood from the heart to the body's tissues. The tissues receive oxygen and nutrients from the blood. The used blood, which now contains carbon dioxide and other by-products, is carried via the veins from the tissues back to the heart. Arterial leg ulcers are caused by poor blood circulation as a result of narrowed arteries. They are also caused by damage to the small blood vessels from long-standing diabetes. Diabetes also increases the likelihood of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). This means people with diabetes have a much increased risk of developing arterial ulcers.
Approximatley 70% of Ulcers are Venous leg Ulcers.
A leg with venous problems has a very characteristic appearance: the leg is swollen. the skin surrounding a venous ulcer is dry, itchy and sometimes brownish in colour. eczema may appear (varicose eczema). the ulcer has a weeping, raw appearance and is usually painless unless infected. venous leg ulcers are often located just above the ankle, typically on the inside of the leg.
What causes venous leg ulcers?
Most of venous leg ulcers occur because the valves connecting the superficial and deep veins are not functioning properly. The venous system is made up of superficial and deep veins:
- superficial veins are located between the skin and the muscles
- deep veins are located between the muscles.
Superficial and deep vein systems are connected to each other by veins that have one-way valves. These valves normally ensure that blood flows from the superficial veins to the deep system. Failure of these valves causes blood to flow from the deep veins back out to the superficial ones - a major cause of varicose veins. When you walk or exercise, the calf muscles push venous blood back to the heart.
How are leg ulcers treated?
Treatment depends on the factors that cause the ulcer or have prevented healing. Once these factors are under control, for example the blood sugar level in diabetes, the ulcer should heal by itself. Treatment may involve wound cleansing, anti-inflammatory treatment and application of dressings. So long as there is no arterial disease, venous leg ulcers will benefit from elevation and compression dressings. Arterial ulcers may benefit from vascular surgery: the insertion of new leg arteries, for example, or balloon angioplasty - a procedure that relieves narrowing and obstruction of the arteries. Sometimes it's necessary to close the ulcer by means of plastic surgery. This involves taking skin from somewhere else on your body and placing it over the ulcer. If ulcers are caused by an underlying disease, it's important this is treated - for example hardening of the arteries. In addition to this circulatory massage that improves blood and lymphatic cicrulation will obviously be of benefit.
Associated Conditions
Diabetes: The long-term effect of diabetes on the nerves increases the likelihood of trauma to the feet. It causes a lack of sensation in the feet, which makes ulcers more likely to appear. But these ulcers are often neglected because they don't cause pain. If ulcers aren't treated, they can lead to more serious problems
Claudication: People with arterial leg ulcers often suffer from intermittent claudication. The condition causes cramp-like pains in the legs when walking. This is because the leg muscles don't receive enough oxygenated blood to function properly. Claudication pain usually goes away if you stand still for a few minutes. Not all people with intermittent claudication have leg ulcers.
Client reported benefits for External Ulcers include:
- Reducing fluid retention.
- Increased mobility and range of movement.
To read more about our therapy click here or to learn more about the general benefits of massage therapy click here
To see if you can receive similar or possibly even better results why not take us up on our offer of a free in-home demonstration.
Remember you have nothing to lose but your pain and just like many of our current clients in the years to come you could be reporting back to us your improved quality of life
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Can external ulcers be treated?