Adding Exercise to Compression Improves Outcomes in Venous Leg Ulcers

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, DFASAM

Patients with venous leg ulcers who add exercise to compression therapy are more likely to experience healing than those who use compression therapy alone, according to a meta-analysis in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers examined data from five trials in which 190 adults with venous leg ulcers were randomized to an exercise program or no exercise; all were receiving compression therapy as standard care. Overall, 61% of patients who exercised had ulcer healing at 12 weeks, versus 46% of those who didn't exercise. Exercise regimens that included progressive resistance exercises (e.g., heel raises) plus activities like walking appeared most effective.

An editorialist writes, "We are now empowered to recommend exercise for patients with [venous leg ulcers], while we await further studies that better elucidate how to best target this intervention."