Overview of Una Boots
Una boot is a compression gauge which is wrapped around foot, ankle and lower leg. The purpose of una boots is to treat venous leg ulcers, burns, fractures, skin grafts, lymphatic edema and other kinds of open leg wounds. The compression caused by una boots improve the blood circulation in the leg and helps in relieving pain and swelling. The boots exert high pressure when muscles contract during walking and low pressure at rest. Thus, una boots allow you to carry on with your normal activities. Unna boot has been named after its inventor Paul Gersona Unna, a German dermatologist.
Contents of Una Boots
The una boots are infused with 10% zinc oxide paste, calamine, glycerin and water. Zinc oxide paste promotes healing of the wounds and keeps the skin moist. Acacia can also be present in una boots. The low compression gauze exerts a pressure of 18-24mm of Hg.
How is it applied?
Una boots are 4 inches in width and 10 yards in length. The gauze is wrapped from the toe till the lower part of the knees. The leg is elevated to 90 degrees at least 20 minutes before application of the gauze to reduce swelling in the lower leg. The elevated position of the leg is maintained throughout the entire process. The process to apply una boots is as follows.
- The wound is cleaned and a topical dressing is applied on the wound. The wound is then covered with a layer of gauze infused with petroleum jelly.
- The gauze is applied from the base of the toes and is wrapped till the lower part of the knees. The first layer of gauze contains medicines and lotions to promote wound healing.
- 1-2 layers of dry gauze are then wrapped around the leg over the first layer. Thereafter, an elastic bandage is wrapped over the layers of gauze.
- The gauze is wrapped around the base of the toes two times without tension. The gauze is then wrapped around the leg in a spiral manner till about 1 inches below the knee.
- Every layer must overlap the previous layer by 75%. The elastic bandage covering the layers of gauze must overlap them by 50%.
- Pleats, folds and wrinkles need to be eliminated by cutting the gauze at the relevant places. Excess bandage must also be cut off.
The una boots become rigid as it dries and exerts pressure. The boots start to become loose after the person starts walking. Una boots must be applied only by a trained medical professional.
Precautions
The una boots should never come in contact with water. This is because exposure to water causes the paste to wash away or leads to unwrapping of the gauze. Prior to taking bath, the leg should first be wrapped in a towel and then covered by a plastic bag. If the una boots get wet, it is important to get medical assistance immediately. Shoes and socks can be worn over the una boots. But it must be ensured that the footwear and socks do not exert much pressure on the una boots.
Talking a walk daily is important to enable the una boots to compress and enhance blood flow. This helps in accelerating the healing process. Controlling high-blood pressure and diabetes in case of diabetic patients by religiously taking medicines is also important to promote healing.
