Difficult to Compress Legs with Venous Disease

Abstract

Patients suffering from venous disease may encounter situations which render compression treatment challenging at least temporarily while complications are managed. Aside from the skin changes and/or ulceration itself, the leg can present anatomical or functional problems, like skin atrophy or impaired mobility, frank deformity or scarring. Motivation and ability to self-management are personal factors which play a role; other challenges may come from the patient’s socio-cultural or economic situation. Even motivated people may become discouraged by working demands/circumstances or by climatological factors. Temporary or remaining concurrent medical problems may be diagnosed to be contra-indications for standard compression treatment. In regions where there is a paucity of skilled caregivers, instruction of the appliers or of the patient itself, and follow-up of treatment may be difficult to arrange. Availability of materials is not always evident in some countries or in some of their remote regions due to issues of marketing and infrastructure. The same holds for provision and organisation of care, rendering optimal compression therapy too exceptional and/or too expensive. These challenges by themselves or in combination, are the main reason to making it difficult to compress legs with venous disease.