SOMEONE without a medical background may be shocked to discover the bizarre and bewildering range of problems that can afflict the human leg.

From ulcers and swollen ankles to dermatitis and lymphoedema, the legs, like any other part of the body, can end up in a horrific state if not looked after properly.

Mercifully, Worcester has its very own leg club to make sure patients have not one, but two legs to stand on for as long as possible.

A team of district nurses are on hand once a week at the Tolly Centre, Rose Avenue, Tolladine, Worcester.

They wash people’s legs, use ointments, change dressings and bandages, help people who may have been injured in falls and generally provide information, support and advice on how to keep legs healthy.

The nurses can carry out regular assessments, check-ups and can fit support stockings and socks if they are needed.

The nurses come from four practices in Worcester – Elbury Moor Medical Centre, St Martin’s Gate Surgery, the Spring Gardens Health Centre and Haresfield House Surgery.

Patients cannot just turn up at the club – they are only eligible for treatment if they are referred by a doctor or a nurse based at one of these practices.

The club has proved so popular that there are 135 people on the books and it is not accepting any new members at the moment, which goes to show how widespread leg problems can be.

The club was founded by Mary James in March 2006 after she was encouraged by the dynamic Ellie Lindsay, founder of the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation, a charity committed to community-based treatment.

Fred James, aged 73, of Northwick, Worcester, is treasurer of the Worcester Leg Club and the husband of founder Mary who is lead nurse for the club and a district nurse team leader at Elbury Moor.

The couple, married for 47 years, have between them helped to make the club a success.

She organises the medical side of the club while he helps with the general organisation, including the raffle needed to cover the costs.

Although the nursing is free, the rent of the centre costs at least £30 a week and Mr James needs to balance the books if the club is to keep on going. He said: “By getting people all together they can treat twice as many people in half the time.

A lot of these people are housebound. They get their legs looked after but there is also a social aspect to it. Some of the people who go don’t get out from one day to the next. For some people it may be the highlight of their week.

“It’s such a worthwhile project.

You can’t get around without your legs – that’s why this is so important. It has really grown. I think we had six people. Now we regularly have 25 people every Thursday. It’s a marvellous idea.”

Mr James knows from personal experience how devastating it is to lose the use of your legs, even temporarily.

He suffered damage to his leg following a car crash on the road to Pershore shortly before Christmas 2002 when a trailer swung out and hit his Ford Mondeo.

Firefighters had to cut him from the wreckage of his car following the crash, during which he also suffered a broken arm.

Mr James was told by firefighters that if he had been in a less sturdy car he probably would have died.

His injuries highlighted to him and his wife the need for a local leg service for people in Worcester and the need to raise the profile of this kind of support.

Worcester will have this opportunity when the city plays host to a big national conference today and tomorrow at Worcester Warriors’ Sixways ground.

The Leg Club’s 8th annual conference, where Mary James is one of the key speakers, is designed to raise awareness of the importance of preventative care.

She will give a talk on the way the leg clubs empower local people.

Fortunately, the club also has friends in high places, including deputy mayor of Worcester, Coun Andy Roberts, who is the club chairman who has helped the club gain more attention locally.

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LEGS

ASSESSMENT

Leg club nurses use a doppler, a small hand-held device with a probe attached to it that sends and receives soundwaves to let a nurse know about blood supply to a patient’s legs.

AGEING

As we get older our skin loses its softness, elasticity and smoothness. As we age the skin stops producing natural moisturisers which leads to skin tears, injury, inflammation and infection which can affect the legs.

PREVENTING PROBLEMS

Oils, lotions and creams may help keep the skin of the leg healthy.

Where patients have ulcers, dressings must be changed regularly. Regular exercise improves circulation and can reduce problems with ulcers. Surgery may be needed for some ulcers.