Symptoms | Open leg

Symptoms

Typical symptoms of the open leg are skin changes on the lower leg; these can appear as pigment spots or as yellowish-brownish discoloration. These are often associated with eczema of the skin, which can be wet, and itching of varying severity. Over time, the skin loses its elasticity and appears hard, before it finally becomes (rarely several) open spots that no longer heal.

If such a defect persists for more than 6 weeks without showing any healing tendencies, it is called an open leg. In addition, leg swelling may have already existed in the past and frequently occurred. The legs felt limp and tired.In some cases a venous ring is already visible at the foot margins in this preliminary stage.

This is a spiderweb-like vascular pattern that can often be observed at the inner edge of the foot and the inner ankles. An open leg is usually the result of a vein weakness. Over a longer period of time, fluid accumulates in the feet and lower legs.

These water deposits cause a feeling of tension in the skin, but can also cause pain. At some point, the tissue is so badly damaged that open areas develop. Suddenly there is no longer any protective skin, so that external influences such as touch, pressure, heat or cold hit the pain-conducting nerve fibers much more directly.

As a result, they often trigger disproportionately strong pain. In addition, the open areas become easily inflamed, which also causes pain. At the same time as the tissue is damaged, however, damage to the nerve fibers often occurs as well.

If these are only partially damaged, they can transmit misinformation to the brain, which is why actually harmless stimuli are suddenly interpreted as pain. If the nerve fibers are completely destroyed, the opposite occurs: The brain no longer receives any information from the affected area, so a numbness sets in and pain is no longer felt. If an open leg begins to smell bad, this indicates that the tissue is colonized by bacteria or dead tissue.

Due to the lack of blood circulation and the poor protection of the open area, such infections can develop very quickly. In this case, it is essential to consult a doctor who can initiate a suitable therapy against bacterial colonization. In an emergency, a part of the tissue must be cut out to prevent the infection.

In most cases the cause of an open leg is a weakness of the veins. Veins are the vessels that are supposed to transport the blood from the legs back to the heart. Since this transport must be against gravity, so-called venous valves are located in these vessels.

They allow blood to rise against gravity and then prevent it from flowing back into the feet. Often, however, these venous valves fail in old age, which is why the blood constantly sinks back into the feet. Without this venous return flow, however, many waste products are not removed from the legs; instead, they attack the tissue.

The additional pressure from the fluid also damages the tissue. Over time, this leads to open spots on the legs and feet. Since the skin no longer holds the accumulated fluid in the tissue, water escapes.

Therapeutic measures such as good wound care help to prevent this. Wound dressings are used here to prevent the fluid from escaping. It is also helpful to wrap the legs to prevent further water retention.