Exercise fidelity and progression in a supervised exercise programme for adults with venous leg ulcers

Purpose of investigation: Despite exercise being included in the recommended advice for patients with venous leg ulcers, there is a fear shared by clinicians and patients that exercise may be either inappropriate or harmful and actually delay rather than promote healing. Therefore, before implementing a larger scale study, exploring the effects of a supervised exercise programme in patients with venous ulcers being treated with compression therapy, it is important to assess exercise safety as well as fidelity and progression in a feasibility study. Methods: Eighteen participants randomised in the exercise group were asked to undertake 36 (3 times/week for 12 weeks), 60-minute exercise sessions, each comprising moderate-intensity aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercise components. For the purposes of this paper we analysed the data collected during the exercise sessions. Results: The overall session attendance rate was 79%, with 13/18 participants completing all sessions. No in-session adverse events were reported. 100% aerobic components and 91% of resistance components were completed within the desired moderate-intensity target. Similarly, 81% of aerobic components and 93% of flexibility components were completed within the prescribed duration targets. Conclusions: Our data showed that patients with venous ulcers could safely follow a supervised exercise programme incorporating moderate-intensity aerobic, resistance and flexibility components