Should I elevate my legs with a venous ulcer?

Yes. Put your feet above your heart as often as possible, for example by lying down with your feet propped up on pillows. It’s one of four things to do for a venous ulcer, along with daily compression, daily walking, and medicines as directed.

Yes. One of the things to do to help treat a venous ulcer is to put your feet above your heart as often as possible. For example, you can lie down with your feet propped up on pillows.

Above your heart is a specific instruction, and it is not the same as up on a footstool. Lying down is the example because that is what makes the height possible.

The reason comes from the cause. A venous ulcer forms because of high pressure in the veins of the lower leg: the one-way valves that keep blood moving toward the heart become weak, or the veins become scarred and blocked, and blood flows backward and pools in the legs. The increase in pressure and buildup of fluid makes it harder for nutrients and oxygen to reach the tissues. Elevation goes along with compression stockings worn every day, walking or exercising every day, and taking medicines as directed.

There’s no set time or number of times beyond “as often as possible.” If you have been given a figure by the person treating you, that figure came from someone who could examine the leg.

It’s also worth knowing that elevation isn’t treated this way for every leg wound. With ischemic ulcers, the wounds also called arterial ulcers, raising the leg can turn it pale and cool to touch, and there may be aching pain in the foot or leg that goes away when the leg is dangled down. Those are symptoms of that wound, not advice for or against raising the leg. If raising your leg makes the pain worse, that is a finding worth reporting rather than something to push through.

What to watch for

Elevation is one of four things to do for a venous ulcer: wear compression stockings or bandages every day as instructed, put your feet above your heart as often as possible, take a walk or exercise every day, and take medicines as directed to help with healing.

Early signs of venous insufficiency include leg swelling, heaviness and cramping; dark red, purple or brown hardened skin; and itching and tingling.

Pain that gets worse when you raise the leg is a feature of a wound caused by poor arterial blood flow (an ischemic ulcer). It isn’t one of the venous ulcer features described here. That is a reason to have the leg examined rather than to adjust the pillows.

Wound Wizard is general education and can’t assess your wound or your situation. Your own clinician is the right person to ask about your wound.

What we look at

  • Identifying the type of wound and what caused it
  • Checking the blood flow in the area around the wound
  • Advising how often and how high to elevate
  • Fitting and checking compression

Sources

  1. Venous ulcers - self-care — MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000744.htm
  2. Ischemic ulcers - self-care — MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000742.htm