Table. Comparison of outcomes across the three groups at three-point timelines.
Venous or stasis ulcers account for 80% of leg ulcers, affect 1% of the population and contribute significantly to chronic wounds. They mostly develop along the medial distal part of the leg and can remain open for weeks or years, while are frequently recurrent. Women and older people tend to develop venous ulcers more frequently. Despite the low overall incidence, the refractory nature of these ulcers raises the risk of morbidity and mortality and has a significant negative impact on the quality of life of the patient.
Venous ulcers are recognized to be more painful and resistant to therapy than ulcers of other etiologies. Various methods have been used for the conservative treatment of venous ulcers, such as pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) and plantar exercise, which promote wound healing due to a range of physiological effects. This study aimed to examine the effect of combined pulsed electromagnetic field therapy and plantar flexion resistance exercise (PRE) on patients with venous leg ulcers (VLUs).
The study was a prospective, randomized controlled trial. A total of 60 patients between the ages of 40 and 55 with venous ulcers were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups. For up to 12 weeks, the first group received PEMF therapy and plantar flexion resistance exercise (PRE) therapy in addition to conservative ulcer treatment. The second group received only PEMF therapy in addition to conservative ulcer treatment, while the third group served as the control and received only conservative ulcer treatment.
At the 4-week follow-up, the 2 experimental groups revealed a considerable variation in ulcer surface area (USA) and ulcer volume (UV), with no significant change in the control group. At the 12-week follow-up, there were significant differences between the 3 groups, while the PEMF+PRE group underwent the most significant changes, with mean differences at [95% confidence interval] of (−4.75, −3.82, −0.98) for USA and (−12.63, −9.55, −2.45) for UV, respectively (see Table).
The authors concluded that on a short-term basis, adding a plantar resistance exercise to the PEMF had no appreciable short-term effects on ulcer healing; however, their combination had more pronounced medium-term effects. Furthermore, combined plantar flexion resistance training and PEMF could be a non-invasive adjuvant treatment for venous leg ulcers and is proven to have more noticeable benefits on the healing process.
Source: Mohamady HM, Taha MM, Aneis YM, Aldhahi MI, Attalla AF. Effect of Combined Electromagnetic Field and Plantar Flexion Resistance Exercise on Wound Healing in Patients with Venous Leg Ulcers: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Medicina 2023, 59, 1157. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59061157
