Why Compression Is the Key to Healing Venous Leg Ulcers

Venous leg ulcers rarely heal without compression — it's the single most important part of treatment. Compression therapy counteracts the high vein pressure that keeps these wounds open, helping them close and stay closed. Modern multilayer systems, often paired with an advanced dressing, are the current standard of care.

If you or someone you care for has an open wound on the lower leg that won't heal, it may be a venous leg ulcer (VLU) — the most common type of chronic leg wound. The good news: with the right approach, most heal. Here's what matters, and what the clinical evidence shows.

Why do venous leg ulcers happen?

When the valves in your leg veins weaken (chronic venous insufficiency), blood pools and pressure builds in the lower leg. That sustained pressure damages the skin and stops wounds from healing — so an ulcer can linger for months, and often comes back after it closes.

Why is compression the key?

Compression therapy applies graduated external pressure that supports the veins, reduces swelling, and improves blood return — directly addressing the cause. Decades of evidence show wounds heal faster with compression than without it. The clinical question researchers are now refining is how to heal the stubborn ulcers that resist standard care.

One recent example: a completed NHS study — NCT06007703 (Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 60 participants) — evaluated a multilayer compression system used together with an interactive wound dressing for venous leg ulcers, with time to healing as the main measure. It reflects today's direction of care: effective compression as the foundation, with an advanced dressing added for ulcers that need extra help.

We cite this study to show the current standard and research focus; always rely on your clinician's assessment for your specific wound.

Getting compression right

• Rule out arterial disease first. Compression is for venous ulcers. A clinician should check your circulation (an ABPI/Doppler assessment) before strong compression is applied — this is essential for safety.
• Graduated, correctly fitted. Compression should be firmest at the ankle and ease up the leg. Ill-fitting compression doesn't work and can harm.
• Consistency matters. Compression works when it's worn as directed — healing is gradual.
• Pair with good wound care. The right dressing under compression keeps the wound bed healthy between reviews.

Caring for a leg ulcer in Singapore

EMIS+ supplies advanced wound-care dressings and compression products in Singapore, with fast islandwide delivery — so you can follow your wound nurse's or doctor's plan without the supply run. Explore EMIS+ wound care & compression →

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, U.S. National Library of Medicine — study NCT06007703 (Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; completed 2024).

This article is general health information, not medical advice. Leg ulcers need proper clinical assessment — compression must not be applied before arterial circulation is checked. Please see a doctor or wound-care nurse for diagnosis and a treatment plan.