Association of Venous Leg Ulcers With Ankle Range of Motion in People Attending Chiropractic Mobile Clinics in the Dominican Republic.

Objective: The goal of the study was to determine if there was an association between chronic venous disorders (CVDs), particularly venous leg ulcers, and ankle range of motion (ROM) in the Dominican Republic.

Methods: Chronic venous disorders were classified using the clinical manifestations portion (C) of the CEAP (clinical manifestations, etiology, anatomy, pathophysiology) method. The legs of participants attending mobile chiropractic clinics in rural, low-income areas in the Dominican Republic were assessed for clinical signs of CVD and venous ulcers. Ankle ROM was then measured, and photographs of the legs were taken. The 6 clinical stages of CVD were divided into 3 groups: normal legs (normal), no ulcer CVD, and ulcer CVD (healed and active). Multiple linear regression of ankle ROM against CVD grouping was used to test the association.

Results: Eight of the 837 patients for whom CVD classification was obtained had venous ulcers (healed or active) on at least 1 leg. About 30% relative reduction in ROM (ankle dorsiflexion plus plantar flexion) was observed between the ulcer group and the normal group. Regression analysis comparing legs with ulcers to healthy legs (normal), adjusted for age, gender, indicator for obesity, and previous leg trauma, revealed a significant decrease of approximately 14° ( = .0007) in ankle ROM. Age was also found to be strongly significant in the regression analysis, 1 year of aging was associated with a decrease of 0.16° ( < .0001) in ankle ROM (approximately 1.6° in 10 years).

Conclusion: A significant decrease was observed in ankle ROM for participants with active and healed leg venous ulcers compared with those without ulcers. There appeared to be an association between venous leg ulcers and ankle ROM in this sample.