Leg ulcers and wound care
Leg ulcer care: get the cause assessed, follow a safe dressing plan and recognise infection or circulation changes needing prompt help.
How this guide was prepared
Purpose: urgent guidance · Level: detailed
Checked by: Does Your Duck Quack. Sources are linked below; seek professional advice for individual circumstances.
The short answer
What to do first
Leg ulcer care: get the cause assessed, follow a safe dressing plan and recognise infection or circulation changes needing prompt help.
Start here: Contact a GP practice, community nurse or the service that noticed the wound. Ask about circulation, swelling, diabetes, medicines and pain. A wound that is not healing, keeps returning or has no clear cause needs a plan; explain how it affects walking, sleep and washing.
Do not wait: Seek same-day advice from a GP, community nurse or NHS urgent-care service for spreading redness, heat, fever, new severe pain or a foul smell. A suddenly cold or pale foot, rapid deterioration, collapse or severe illness needs urgent emergency help; call 999 if life may be at risk.
Visual guides
See the decision at a glance
- Contact the care team promptlyReport increasing pain, redness or colour change, heat, swelling, discharge, smell, wound opening or delayed healing.
- Seek urgent helpRapid deterioration, spreading redness, fever, severe pain, confusion or serious illness needs urgent assessment.
- Protect the planFollow dressing and compression instructions, keep review dates and do not apply unapproved products.
Scope of this guide
This guide helps you understand the options and questions to ask. It is not personal medical, legal or financial advice. Check the official sources for your nation and seek qualified help for high-stakes decisions.
Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. For an urgent problem that is not clearly life-threatening, use the official NHS urgent-care route for the UK nation you are in. Have the address, symptoms, onset time, medicines and allergies ready.
Who this guide is for
People living with a leg wound or ulcer, and family members helping them arrange assessment and ongoing care.
A leg ulcer is an open lower-leg wound that has not healed as expected. Causes include vein or artery problems, diabetes, pressure or a mixture. Dressings alone may not treat the cause. Assessment helps choose care safely and identify changes needing urgent attention.
What to do now
1. Arrange an assessment
Contact a GP practice, community nurse or the service that noticed the wound. Ask about circulation, swelling, diabetes, medicines and pain. A wound that is not healing, keeps returning or has no clear cause needs a plan; explain how it affects walking, sleep and washing.
2. Confirm the cause and treatment
Ask whether the ulcer is venous, arterial, diabetes-related, pressure-related or mixed, and what supports that assessment. The plan may include dressings, swelling management and follow-up. Compression can help some venous ulcers, but only after circulation is assessed and a clinician advises on type and fit. Do not start it yourself.
3. Follow dressing and skin advice
Use the nurse’s instructions and ask what to do if a dressing slips, becomes wet or hurts. Wash hands before and after wound care. Do not put household remedies or unprescribed creams into the wound. Ask for help if sight, dexterity, pain or memory makes the routine difficult.
4. Support comfort and movement
If advised, gentle walking or ankle movement may help maintain mobility. Ask what is safe if walking hurts or balance is poor. Elevation may help swelling for some people but should follow clinical advice, particularly if circulation is affected. Discuss pain, footwear, nutrition and smoking support without blame.
5. Prevent return and spot infection
Keep follow-up even after the skin closes; the underlying problem may remain. Continue compression only as prescribed and report soreness or skin damage. Get same-day advice for spreading redness, heat, fever, new severe pain or a foul smell. A cold or pale foot or sudden swelling also needs urgent assessment.
6. Prepare for circulation tests
A Doppler assessment compares blood pressure at the ankle with pressure in the arm to help check arterial circulation. The NHS says compression is unsafe when ankle artery pressures are low. Ask the nurse to explain the result and how it affects your treatment before any compression is fitted. Bring a short account of previous ulcers, leg injuries and conditions already diagnosed. Mention whether symptoms change when standing or lying down. If the cause remains unclear, ask whether a vascular assessment is needed and who will arrange it.
7. Agree what you can manage between visits
Some people can clean and dress their ulcer under a nurse’s supervision. Ask for a demonstration before taking this on, and say plainly if handling the dressing is difficult. Request instructions you can read comfortably and explain which parts a willing helper can manage. Keep the nurse’s contact details beside the dressing instructions. Ask how the next visit will be arranged and what to do if it cannot go ahead. Discuss discomfort at dressing changes and whether itchy surrounding skin needs assessment rather than adding a cream yourself.
8. Plan life after the wound closes
A healed venous ulcer can return, so ask for a prevention plan before wound appointments finish. The NHS advises properly fitted compression stockings after healing; your nurse can help choose a fit you can manage. Ask to practise putting them on and taking them off, and discuss help if reaching your feet is difficult. Explain which footwear feels comfortable and whether movement is limited. Agree whom to contact if the stocking stops fitting comfortably or skin becomes sore. Keep the prevention advice with your other care instructions so a new helper can find it.
Warning signs and checks
- Cause and circulation assessed
- Dressing and follow-up plan written down
- Compression used only after assessment
- Pain, movement and skin care discussed
- Same-day contact route known
- Recurrence plan agreed
Common questions
Can I treat a leg ulcer at home with a dressing?
A clinician should assess a new or persistent leg ulcer before dressings or compression are chosen. Causes include vein, artery, diabetes and pressure problems, and treatment for one may be unsafe for another. Follow the home dressing plan, but do not use household remedies or start compression without advice.
Should I use compression stockings for a leg ulcer?
Compression helps some ulcers caused by venous circulation, but is unsuitable for some people. A clinician must assess circulation and recommend the type and fit first. If it causes new pain, numbness or colour change, contact the nurse or fitting service instead of adjusting it yourself.
Who can change a leg-ulcer dressing?
A community nurse may teach a person or willing carer to follow the plan, or arrange visits based on assessed need and local provision. Ask for written instructions, what to do if a dressing becomes wet or slips, and whom to call if a visit is missed.
When does a leg ulcer need urgent help?
Spreading redness, heat, fever, new severe pain or a foul smell needs same-day clinical advice. A cold or pale foot or sudden swelling may signal a more serious problem. Call 999 if the person collapses, is severely unwell or has another life-threatening emergency.
Why do I need a circulation test before compression?
Compression helps venous circulation, but it is not safe for every leg wound. The NHS explains that a Doppler test compares ankle and arm blood pressures, and compression is unsafe when ankle artery pressures are low. Ask the clinician what the result means for your wound, whether more investigation is needed and which treatment is suitable. Tell them about previous ulcers and relevant conditions. Do not buy compression and begin using it while waiting for assessment; follow the nurse’s individual plan.
Differences across the UK
GP and community nursing teams can start assessment in each UK nation, but referrals to tissue-viability, vascular or specialist wound services vary locally. Ask which team owns the plan and who to contact if a dressing visit is missed. The safety principles are consistent: identify the cause, assess circulation before compression and seek review when a wound worsens.
Seek same-day advice from a GP, community nurse or NHS urgent-care service for spreading redness, heat, fever, new severe pain or a foul smell. A suddenly cold or pale foot, rapid deterioration, collapse or severe illness needs urgent emergency help; call 999 if life may be at risk.
Primary sources
The publisher checked this guide against the 5 official sources below. This is an editorial source check, not approval by a clinician, lawyer or benefits adviser.
- NHS: Venous leg ulcer
- NICE: Leg ulcer infection
- NHS: When to call 999
- NHS: Diagnosing venous leg ulcers
- NHS: Treating venous leg ulcers
Related guides
- Preventing pressure ulcers: skin checks and practical care
- Diabetes and foot care: checks, protection and urgent signs
- Skin changes and skin cancer checks in later life
Editorial note: By Does Your Duck Quack.