Association between physical activity levels and healing in people with venous leg ulcers: secondary analysis of prospective cohort data.

Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101648047 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2296-858X (Print) Linking ISSN: 2296858X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Front Med (Lausanne) Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE

Original Publication: Lausanne, Switzerland : Frontiers Media S.A., [2014]-

Aim: To explore the relationship between physical activity levels and wound healing and recurrence in people with venous leg ulcers.
Methods: Questionnaires and medical records were used to collect data, with responses used to group participants into different physical activity groups. The differences in healing and recurrence outcomes of ulcers among different physical activity groups were compared using Chi-square, Kaplan Meier survival analysis, Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, and Kruskal-Wallis test. To measure the strength of the association between physical activity levels and patient outcomes, Spearman's Rho tests were used. We used descriptive analysis to examine how physical activity levels change over 24 weeks.
Results: Participants were classified into four distinct groups based on physical activity levels reported at baseline and week 12. The survival analysis showed higher physical activity level was associated with a shorter time to healing (log-rank test = 14.78, df  = 3; p  = 0.002). The persistently moderate-to-vigorous group had a 7.3-fold increased likelihood of healing compared to the persistently sedentary group. High levels of physical activity were also associated with a better quality of life score at baseline ( ρ = 0.41, p  < 0.000), week 12 ( ρ = 0.36, p  < 0.001), and week 24 ( ρ = 0.49, p  < 0.000). Most participants (48.5%) reported low levels of physical activity, which remained low for the entire study period.
Conclusion: An increased level of physical activity was linked to a shorter healing time and enhanced quality of life. Low levels of physical activity appeared common among people with venous leg ulcers.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 Qiu, Osadnik, Brusco, Sussman, Reeves, Gleghorn, Weller and Team.)

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Keywords: adjuvant treatment; healing; physical activity level; recurrence; varicose ulcer

Date Created: 20240108 Latest Revision: 20240109

20240109

PMC10768026

10.3389/fmed.2023.1305594

38188330