Leg wounds range from small cuts to large, non-healing wounds that harbor infections. You can sometimes deal with a leg wound on your own, but get treatment for those that stick around.
At the Vein, Heart, and Vascular Institute, board-certified cardiologist Dr. Hesham Fakhri provides wound care for various forms of leg and non-healing wounds. He’s a heart and vascular care specialist offering vein treatments for venous insufficiency and other medical issues that cause chronic leg wounds.
A leg wound is any cut, puncture, or open area on the legs. Many wounds affect the lower legs and feet, especially in people with neuropathy or diabetes.
Leg wounds vary in severity but often form when chronic health issues like venous insufficiency or diabetic neuropathy affect blood and nutrient flow to those tissues. The result is a chronic wound that doesn't heal, even with excellent home care.
We call some leg wounds ulcers, especially those that form due to chronic medical problems and heart disease. These ulcers may be painful or painless, form on the lower leg or feet, and develop swelling and redness.
Chronic leg wounds usually require professional treatment to allow the tissues to heal completely. Without professional care, you risk infection and other serious complications.
Knowing when you require professional care and treatment is the key to healing. Small or mild leg wounds may only require home care, while others need professional treatment. Signs you should come in for a wound care appointment include:
Any sign of infection requires a wound care consultation. Look for redness, swelling, and pain around the wound. Warmth or foul-smelling discharge around the wound also indicates an infection that requires treatment.
Severe infections may cause fever and chills in addition to the above symptoms. Treatment for an infected leg wound is necessary to avoid dangerous complications.
Wounds should heal over a few days to weeks with the proper care, unless you're living with diabetes, vascular problems, or nerve damage. A non-healing wound is a definitive reason to seek professional treatment.
We consider a non-healing wound one that doesn’t heal within a few weeks, even with proper care.
Deep or penetrating leg wounds require a trip to our office, especially if you can see exposed fat or muscle. These wounds often require stitches and possibly antibiotics to avoid infection at the site.
Skin discoloration is a key sign of a non-healing leg ulcer that requires treatment. The skin can be red, black, or purple, depending on the cause of the discoloration. Any signs of gangrene are severe and require immediate medical treatment.
Gangrene is a severe medical problem that leads to tissue death around the wound, which can cause loss of the leg in severe cases.
Numbness and weakness around a leg wound could indicate nerve damage, which often causes a non-healing wound. These symptoms may also indicate a deep infection or irritation of the tissues around the wound.
The treatment we offer depends on the type of wound and why it happened. We often recommend home care along with professional treatments like debridement and regular bandage changes to keep the wound clean and allow it to heal.
We also offer prevention strategies, such as compression stockings and other vein treatments, to address the circulatory issues that lead to chronic leg wounds.
Call us at the Vein, Heart, and Vascular Institute today to schedule an appointment to discuss wound care treatments or request a consultation here. We have offices in Tampa, Wesley Chapel, and Sun City Center, Florida.
