Venous leg ulcer care in Collinsville.

What to know about venous leg ulcers

A venous leg ulcer is a break in the skin of the lower leg that stays open because the veins beneath it are not doing their job. Most appear between mid-calf and ankle, commonly on the inner side near the ankle bone. They are usually shallow, with an irregular outline and a moist red or yellowish base. Drainage can be heavy enough to soak through dressings and socks.

The skin nearby tells part of the story. It may look stained brown or purple, feel tight, hard or itchy, and swell more as the day goes on. Pain varies. Some people feel a dull ache that eases when the leg is raised, and others feel very little.

What the treating clinician looks at

Before anything is wrapped, the treating clinician needs to know that the arteries in the leg can tolerate pressure. That usually means feeling for pulses in the foot, and often a bedside test that compares blood pressure at the ankle with blood pressure in the arm. If the result is unclear, further vascular testing may be ordered.

This step matters because some leg ulcers involve both vein and artery disease, and those call for a different plan. Once circulation is understood, the clinician decides whether compression is appropriate, which form to use and how firm it should be. The dressing choice follows, matched mainly to how much the ulcer drains.

Local context: Collinsville

People in Collinsville with venous leg ulcers sometimes see a vascular specialist in St. Louis and receive the rest of their care in Illinois. That split can leave gaps, such as test results from one side of the river never reaching the clinician who wraps the leg on the other. Gateway gathers the records, including circulation studies done before compression, and shares them with the treating clinician. When a trip across the river for specialty care is needed, we help with scheduling and transportation. Whether a Missouri-based provider can be used under an Illinois plan is checked first, not assumed.

Homes in Collinsville range from older frame houses and brick bungalows near Main Street to ranch homes, newer subdivisions and apartment complexes closer to the interstates. Senior apartments, assisted living and skilled nursing care are part of the city too. Gateway arranges visits in each of these settings with partner clinicians. In a private home, we work out timing with the patient or a family member. In a facility, we coordinate with the nursing staff so the treating clinician has the chart, the current orders and a good time to see the resident.

When care happens at home

Family caregivers often carry part of the work for a venous leg ulcer at home. Depending on the orders, that might mean helping with a stocking or adjustable garment, changing an outer dressing, propping the legs at rest, or watching the toes and skin for changes. No one should have to guess. The treating clinician can show a caregiver which tasks are theirs and which to leave alone, and Gateway can request visit times when the caregiver is able to be there. If the caregiver works, travels or lives elsewhere, tell us, and with your permission we will keep them informed by phone.

Care in skilled nursing and assisted living

Assisted living is a different setting from a nursing home. Staff may help with bathing and dressing, but licensed nursing hours are often limited, and many communities do not apply compression wraps. For a resident with a venous leg ulcer, that affects the plan. The treating clinician may choose compression that stays on between visits, or a type that a home health nurse reapplies. Gateway coordinates with the community’s nurse or wellness director, the family and any home health agency so each knows who is responsible for which task. We also ask staff to report slipped wraps, wet dressings and new swelling early.

Changes to report

Compression should feel snug and supportive, not painful. Contact the treating clinician promptly if any of these occur while a wrap or garment is on:

• Toes that look pale, bluish or darker than usual, or feel cold
• Numbness, tingling or pins and needles in the foot
• New or sharper pain under the wrap, particularly over the shin or ankle
• A wrap that has rolled, slid down or formed a tight band
• Swelling that bulges above or below the wrap

Follow the instructions you were given for these situations, including whether to take the wrap off. Call 911 if the foot or leg suddenly turns cold, pale and severely painful.

Primary care and overall health

The calf muscle acts as a pump for the leg veins, and it only works when the ankle moves. Arthritis, nerve damage, an old injury, pain from the ulcer itself or fear of falling can shrink a person’s walking to a few steps a day. A primary care clinician can look at what is limiting movement, manage pain, review fall risk and order physical therapy or equipment when appropriate. Sleep is part of this too. People who sleep upright in a recliner because of breathing trouble or back pain keep their legs down all night, and the reason behind that habit needs a medical answer.

Primary care at home in Collinsville →

Arranging venous leg ulcer care in Collinsville

Before anything is scheduled, Gateway checks two things for every request for venous leg ulcer care in Collinsville: whether a partner clinician serves that address and care setting, and what the patient’s plan requires from the treating provider. Neither is assumed. If both line up, we arrange the visit and gather records. If something stands in the way, we say so, and our guide to following up on a request explains what to ask next. Gateway coordinates the care and does not make clinical decisions. Those belong to the treating clinician who sees the wound. Start by calling 314-325-0126, or ask a family member to call for you.

Three hospitals are within reach of Collinsville. Anderson Hospital in Maryville is just north on Route 159, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, Illinois is a short drive to the southeast, and Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City lies west across the river bottoms. Gateway Wound Care is not affiliated with any of them. When a discharge is planned, a family member or the hospital’s discharge planner can contact us with the patient’s details. We gather the discharge paperwork and orders, confirm where the patient is going, and arrange follow-up with a partner clinician.

• County: Madison County, Illinois
• ZIP codes: 62234
• Nearby hospitals: Anderson Hospital in Maryville; HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital in O'Fallon, Illinois; Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City (not affiliated with Gateway)
• Nearby communities: Glen Carbon, Fairview Heights, Edwardsville, Granite City, Belleville, Illinois
• Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation

Related care in Collinsville

Read the full guide to venous leg ulcers, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in Collinsville page.

• Diabetic foot ulcers
• Pressure injuries and bed sores
• Arterial and mixed wounds
• Non-healing wounds
• Post-surgical wounds
• Reopened (dehisced) surgical wounds
• Surgical site infections
• Skin tears and traumatic wounds
• Wounds with lymphedema
• Skin graft aftercare
• Wound VAC (NPWT) follow-up
• Venous leg ulcer care in Glen Carbon
• Venous leg ulcer care in Fairview Heights
• Venous leg ulcer care in Edwardsville
• Venous leg ulcer care in Granite City

Common questions