Polarized light therapy in the treatment of venous leg ulcers — pilot study

Introduction: Venous leg ulcers are still a significant healthcare problem capable of diminishing quality of life, lengthening hospitalization, and incurring substantial costs for patients and healthcare systems. In recent years, selected physical methods have been increasingly used in the complex treatment of leg ulcers. Material and methods: The study included 24 patients, 11 male (45.8%) and 13 female (54.1%) aged between 46 and 85 years (mean age: 65.25 ± 9.35 years) with venous leg ulcers lasting for 12.58 ± 7.25 months, who underwent a cycle of polarized light therapy (30 daily procedures lasting 20 minutes each). The progress in wound healing was evaluated by computerized planimetry and pain intensity was assessed with the use of a visual analog scale (VAS) before the beginning and after the completion of the therapy. Results: After the end of treatment using polarized light therapy, the median (IQR) area of the treated ulcers decreased statistically significantly compared to the baseline values from 4.0 (3.25–4.45) cm to 2.25 (2.0–2.95) cm² (p < 0.001). A statistically significant reduction in the area of ulcers after the end of the treatment cycle compared to the baseline values was also observed in subgroups analyzed in terms of gender, age, BMI value, and the duration and location of the ulcer. A reduction in the ulcer surface area was achieved in all treated patients, and the average percentage change in ulcer surface area was 33.93 ± 11.32%. After completing the course of treatments, a statistically significant reduction of pain intensity on the VAS scale was also achieved, from a median (IQR) level of 6.5 (6–8) points before treatment to 2.0 (2.0–2.0) points after treatment (p < 0.001). A statistically significant reduction in pain intensity was also observed in analyzed subgroups in terms of gender, age, BMI value, and the duration and location of the ulcer. Conclusions: In patients with venous leg ulcers, polarized light therapy has a positive effect on the intensity of the ulcer healing process in objective planimetric assessment and reduces the intensity of pain ailments.