Know your legs

Education

Know your legs

The more you know about your legs, the better you’ll be able to take care of them. Watch our educational videos and learn about the venous system, leg ulcers and compression therapy.

Living with a leg ulcer can be tough. It can affect your quality of life and leave you feeling down and frustrated. Your wound can take a long time to heal and it can be hard to know what to do to improve your leg health and prevent leg ulcers happening again.

We have designed this section of the website to arm you with what you need to know to look after your legs. Our goal is to help you, help yourself – and start taking control of your own healing.

Videos

What is a venous leg ulcer

What is a venous leg ulcer

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Why do you need compression

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What can you do to help your ulcer heal

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What is a good compression system

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How to prevent recurrence

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Resources

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A handy checklist to help you keep your eye out for warning signs abd symptoms of venous disease

Hosiery record

A helpful way to keep track of your prescriptions

Tips for applying and looking after your hosiery

A helpful glossary of terms you may come across during your leg ulcer journey

A helpful postcard to record any questions you have for your healthcare professional

Man wearing a compression garment

Who do I contact if I am concerned about my leg health?

Contact your health care professionals to arrange an appointment to discuss further, that may be your GP, practice nurse, district nurse or pharmacist.

Can I wash my compression garments?

All stockings should be hand washed at 40°C and should be left to dry flat away from direct heat. DO NOT wring, iron, tumble dry, dry clean or bleach your stockings Ensure you have a pair to wash and a pair to wear. Hosiery should be replaced every 3-6 months to ensure the right level of compression.

I struggle to apply compression hosiery, what are tips to support with this?

There are various devices designed to aid application such as sock aid, ask your healthcare professional to discuss the right one to be prescribed for you.

What is the best moisturiser to use on the legs if they are dry?

There are many emollients to use for adding moisture to dry skin. Ask your GP, nurse or pharmacist what they recommend buying or prescribe for you.

Latest blog posts

Prevention - hand stopping the domino from falling

10.05.23 / Know your legs

Preventing the reoccurrence of leg ulcers

Early treatment, eating well and staying active all contribute to your leg ulcer healing, but it’s important that you keep looking after yourself to prevent reoccurrence. Once you have an ulcer, the layers of skin underneath the surface can take years to fully remodel in the natural healing process, and even then, your skin isn’t as strong as it once was. This makes your newly healed skin vulnerable to breakdown. Venous disease needs to be...

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Hearing from others can really help!

It is important to remember that you’re not alone! If you’d like to share your story we’d love to hear from you.