The impact of compression therapy with Unna's boot on the functional status of VLU patients

To assess disability in patients with venous leg ulcers treated with compression therapy with Unna's boot.

A descriptive analytic case control study was conducted from June 2010 to May 2011 in an outpatient wound care clinic in interior Brazil. Fifty patients of both sexes, aged 18 years or above, who had had a venous leg ulcer for more than 1 year and a Doppler ankle-brachial index of 0.8-1.0 were selected for the study. Patients were treated with wound dressings and Unna's boot. Disability was assessed using the 20-item Stanford Health Assessment Disability Scale (HAQ-20). Statistical analysis was performed using the Student's t-test, the Kruskal-Wallis test and the chi-square test of independence, all at a significance level of 0.05 (p < 0.05).

The mean overall HAQ score at inclusion (baseline) was 2.98, indicating impaired functional capacity. After 8 and 12 months of compression treatment with Unna's boot, the mean overall HAQ scores were 1.35 and 1.0, respectively, indicating good functional capacity.

Patients with venous leg ulcer reported severe difficulty or serious disability in their daily functioning at baseline; after 8 months of treatment with Unna's boot, these patients were able to perform activities of daily living.