The term “rotten leg” refers to the development of dermatitis, ulceration, and oozing infection in the lower extremities, which is difficult to heal. Many patients think that they may need to go to dermatology or surgery because of the ulceration of their lower limbs. Unbeknownst to them, many of the limb ulcers, especially those that do not heal easily, are caused by peripheral vascular disease. The peripheral vascular diseases that cause “rotten legs” are mainly divided into two categories: arterial diseases and venous diseases.
Lower limb artery diseases that cause this kind of limb ulcers are mainly: arteriosclerotic occlusive disease (ASO), thrombo-occlusive vasculitis (TAO), diabetic vasculopathy, etc. Lower limb arteries mainly supply blood to the distal limbs, once the lower limb arteries are narrowed or occluded, just like a tree is cut off the roots, can cause distal limb ischemia and hypoxia, the mild manifestation is cold, cold, walking weakness, soreness and swelling discomfort, the heavy pain after walking, even pain at rest, toe necrosis, ulceration, not easy to heal. This kind of arterial ulcers tend to occur in the foot, or with toes purple, black, pain is obvious, to night pain is sharp, pain, the patient like to bend the knee, often all night hug the knee and sit. This type of condition indicates that the limb ischemia is quite serious and may lead to amputation or even life threatening if not treated actively.
The treatment of arterial ischemic ulcer is mainly to improve the ischemic state of the limb. First of all, we need to control hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes, etc.; the wound needs to be routinely changed and cleaned to prevent infection; the use of vasodilators and other drugs to improve microcirculation; some patients need surgical methods to open the blood vessels, such as artificial vessel bypass surgery, interventional balloon dilation surgery, etc., which can make most patients achieve the purpose of improving symptoms and saving limbs.
Another common cause of “old rotten leg” is lower extremity venous disease, common diseases are: varicose veins of lower extremity for many years, deep vein thrombosis sequelae, Buga’s syndrome, etc.. The cause is poor blood return or reflux in the veins of the lower extremities, resulting in blood stagnation in the lower leg. This kind of ulcer mostly occurs in the lower leg or inner and outer ankle, the ulcer is shallow, the area is large, there is often pigmentation around the ulcer, generally pain is not obvious, if inadvertently touched easy to bleed.
Treatment of venous ulcers: Since venous ulcers are mostly caused by blood stasis, their treatment is based on improving the circulatory status of the limbs and promoting blood return. The treatment methods are: frequent cleaning and disinfection of the trauma surface, attention to elevation of the affected limb for rest, local pressure bandaging, physiotherapy, etc. Some patients need surgery to eliminate the cause of the ulcer in order to minimize the recurrence of the ulcer.
In conclusion, “old rotten leg” caused by peripheral vascular disease is extremely difficult to heal and brings great inconvenience to patients’ life and work, especially ulcers caused by arterial disease, which can eventually lead to amputation or life-threatening serious consequences if they are not controlled timely and effectively. Therefore, patients suffering from “old rotten leg”, do not forget to go to the regular hospital vascular surgery, in order to facilitate timely treatment.