Nonhealing Leg Wounds in Prosper, TX

Nonhealing leg wounds, otherwise known as venous ulcers, develop after the one-way valves in the veins stop working properly. This typically causes swelling in the veins, which leads to inflammation in the leg. Eventually, damage to the skin occurs and an ulcer develops. The good news is, at Vitality Vein Care, our dedicated team of vein specialists — Drs. Bradley Hart, and Aaron Roberts — can help men and women address their nonhealing leg wounds for long-lasting results. With this comprehensive treatment, we can help your wounds heal so you can get back to living your wonderful life. For more information, contact our Prosper, TX office today.

Nonhealing leg wounds can lead to serious complications if left untreated. Seeking care not only addresses the wound itself but also enhances overall leg health and functionality, ensuring a better quality of life. Benefits include:

• Prevents infection: Timely care reduces the risk of infections that can arise from open wounds.
• Promotes healing: Specialized treatments enhance the body's natural healing processes.
• Reduces pain: Addressing the wound can alleviate discomfort and improve quality of life.
• Improves mobility: Healing the wound can restore movement and daily function.
• Prevents complications: Early intervention helps avoid more severe health issues, such as cellulitis or osteomyelitis.

Nonhealing leg wounds, or venous ulcers, can occur when the veins in your legs don't push blood back up to your heart as well as they should. Several risk factors may increase the likelihood of their development.

• Advanced age: Our blood vessels naturally lose some elasticity as we age, making older adults more susceptible to venous ulcers.
• Obesity: Carrying extra weight can put additional pressure on your veins, leading to poor circulation and the potential for venous ulcers.
• Lack of mobility: Sitting or standing for long periods, or having a sedentary lifestyle, can result in blood pooling in your legs, increasing your risk.
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): A history of DVT can damage the valves in the veins of your legs, impacting blood flow and leading to ulcers.
• Varicose veins: A sign of weak or damaged vein valves and could increase your chances of developing venous ulcers.
• Smoking: Regular smoking harms your circulation, increasing the likelihood of these ulcers.
• Previous leg injuries or surgeries: These can damage your veins, increasing your risk.

Having one or more of these risk factors doesn't guarantee you'll develop venous ulcers, but they increase the probability. Regular check-ups with the skilled practitioners at Vitality Vein Care and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help manage these risks.

Nonhealing leg wounds are diagnosed through a combination of a thorough physical examination and a medical history review. Diagnostic tools, such as duplex ultrasound, are often used to assess blood flow and identify any venous insufficiencies or other underlying issues. At Vitality Vein Care, our specialists use these detailed evaluations to determine the best course of treatment. This comprehensive approach ensures that both the wound and any contributing factors are effectively addressed.

Venous ulcers are treatable. In fact, the best form of treatment is prevention. With the help of one of our board-certified specialists, we can help you prevent ulcers by correcting your vein reflux. Before we being your treatment, we'll review your symptoms and complete an exam of your leg and study the veins through a duplex ultrasound. From there, we'll be able to develop a treatment plan. Typically, this first begins by getting control of the leg swelling and addressing the wound itself. Once the ulcer begins to heal, we can correct the underlying issue. Typically, this will involve either thermal endovenous therapy (radiofrequency ablation) or nonthermal endovenous therapy using VenaSeal™. After that, we can treat the perforator vein associated with your ulcer, typically by performing RF ablation, open ligation, or sclerotherapy.

Every venous ulcer, or nonhealing leg wound, treatment at Vitality Vein Care targets the affected vein(s) that are not functioning properly to reduce swelling, restore healthy blood flow, and allow the ulcer to heal naturally. Once normal blood flow has returned to the area, the ulcer will typically begin to heal on its own. After the ulcer has healed, we can devise a treatment plan for the affected vein(s). Depending on the treatment selected for your particular needs, some patients may have minor soreness, achiness, and discomfort in the treated leg(s) that generally lasts about a week or so. You may be required to wear a compression garment to improve blood flow and promote healing while preventing the treated vein(s) from refilling with blood. We will schedule you for a follow-up visit to check on your progress.

If you notice pain or swelling in your leg, it could be a sign of something more serious. If left untreated, you could develop a venous ulcer, which can be painful and cause unsightly and unpleasant reactions on your skin. At Vitality Vein Care, our team of board-certified vein specialists is available to help take care of nonhealing leg wounds and the underlying causes. If addressed swiftly and properly, your chances of developing a venous ulcer again go down dramatically. For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact Drs. Bradley Hart and Aaron Roberts at our Prosper, TX office.