• Leg matters for leg and foot healthcare advice
• NHS venous leg ulcers overview
• Lindsay leg club foundation for people suffering from or at risk of chronic leg disease within social care
• Stop smoking
• Maintain a healthy weight

A leg ulcer is a long-lasting (chronic) sore that takes more than 2 weeks to heal. They usually develop on the inside of the leg, just above the ankle.

The symptoms of a venous leg ulcer include:

• pain
• itching
• swelling 

There may also be discoloured or hardened skin around the ulcer, and the sore may produce a foul-smelling discharge.

See your GP if you think you have a leg ulcer, as it'll need specialist treatment to help it heal. Your GP will examine your leg and may carry out additional tests to rule out other conditions.

If you have a venous leg ulcer you may also have:

• swollen ankles (oedema)
• discolouration and darkening of the skin around the ulcer
• hardened skin around the ulcer, which may make your leg feel hard
• a heavy feeling in your legs
• aching or swelling in your legs
• red, flaky, scaly and itchy skin on your legs (varicose eczema)
• swollen and enlarged veins on your legs (varicose veins)
• an unpleasant and foul-smelling discharge from the ulcer

You can help your venous leg ucler to heal by:

• Trying to keep active by walking regularly. Sitting and standing still without elevating your legs can make venous leg ulcers and swelling worse
• Keeping your leg raised whenever you're sitting or lying down
• Regularly exercise your legs by moving your feet up and down, and rotating them at the ankles. This can help encourage better circulation
• Reducing your weight with a healthy diet and regular exercise if you are overweight
• Stop smoking and moderate your alcohol consumption. This can help the ulcer heal faster
• Be careful not to injure your affected leg, and wear comfortable, well-fitting footwear

A venous leg ulcer can develop after a minor injury if there's a problem with the circulation of blood in your leg veins. If this happens, pressure inside the veins increases.

This constant high pressure can gradually damage the tiny blood vessels in your skin and make it fragile.

As a result, your skin can easily break and form an ulcer after a knock or scratch.

Unless you have treatment to improve the circulation in your legs, the ulcer may not heal.

A venous leg ulcer can be more sceptable to bacterial infection.

Signs of an infected leg ulcer can include:

• worsening pain
• a green or unpleasant discharge coming from the ulcer
• redness and swelling of the skin around the ulcer
• a high temperature (fever)
• an unpleasant smell coming from the ulcer

With appropriate treatment, most venous leg ulcers heal within 3 to 4 months.

Treatment should always be carried out by a healthcare professional trained in compression therapy for leg ulcers. This will usually be a practice or district nurse.

Treatment includes:

• cleaning and dressing the leg
• compression bandage to improve circulation
• daily exercise to help reduce swelling
• raise your leg to ease swelling
• moisturising cream to treat itchy skin

You may require a test called an Ankle Brachial Pressure Index (ABPI) test. While you lie on your back, the GP or practice nurse will measure the blood pressure in your upper arms and ankles using a cuff and a Doppler probe. A Doppler probe uses sound waves to determine the blood flow in your arteries. This will give us information to direct your treatment. If your blood supply to your foot (arterial) is good then it is likely the nurse will recommend compression dressing to help the blood return from your foot. Stagnant blood in the tissues causes poor healing.