If you have a wound on your lower leg that just won't heal, despite dressings, rest, and doing everything you've been told — you're not alone, and you're not imagining it. Leg wounds, particularly on the lower limb, are notoriously difficult to heal. In some cases, wounds can persist for months or even years.
The reason usually comes down to one thing: circulation.
This article explains why blood flow is so critical to wound healing, what causes it to fail in the lower limbs, and what options are now available — including a clinically proven wearable device that is helping people in New Zealand finally close wounds that have been open for years.
The Link Between Circulation and Wound Healing
Your blood does a lot more than just move around your body. It delivers oxygen and nutrients that your cells need to repair damaged tissue. It also carries away the waste products created during healing. When a wound isn't receiving enough blood flow, this entire repair process slows — or stops entirely.
The lower legs are especially vulnerable. They sit furthest from the heart, and the veins there have to work against gravity to push blood back up. When the tiny valves inside those veins weaken or fail, blood can pool — a condition called venous insufficiency. This pooling starves the surrounding tissue of the oxygen and nutrients it needs.
The result is a wound that stalls. Dressings can protect the wound and manage moisture, but they can't fix the underlying circulation problem. That's why so many people find that their wound is managed but never quite heals.
Common Reasons Leg Wounds Won't Heal
There's rarely just one cause. Most slow-healing lower limb wounds involve a combination of factors:
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Venous leg ulcers: the most common type, caused by poor venous return and blood pooling in the lower leg
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Arterial insufficiency: when the arteries are narrowed or blocked, reducing blood delivery to the tissue
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Diabetes: high blood sugar damages small blood vessels and nerves, impairing healing responses
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Oedema (swelling): fluid build-up in the tissue compresses tiny blood vessels and blocks nutrient delivery
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Immobility: movement naturally pumps blood through the leg; people who are sedentary or mobility-limited lose this mechanism
What these have in common is reduced blood flow to the wound site. Addressing that directly — not just managing the wound surface — is often what finally breaks the cycle.
What Is NMES Therapy and How Does It Help?
Neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES) is a technology that uses gentle electrical signals to stimulate the muscles in the calf and foot, mimicking the pumping action that happens naturally when you walk. This pumping action is what drives blood back up from the lower leg toward the heart.
For people who are sedentary, recovering from surgery, or have conditions that impair their calf pump — NMES essentially replaces the muscle activity they're missing. The result is improved venous return, reduced swelling, and critically, better blood flow to the wound site.
It's not a replacement for standard wound care — it works alongside compression, dressings, and other treatments. But for wounds that haven't responded to standard care alone, adding NMES can be the factor that finally gets things moving.
What the Clinical Research Shows
The geko™ W3 device is a small, wearable NMES device worn just below the knee that stimulates the common peroneal nerve. Multiple clinical studies have now demonstrated its effectiveness for lower limb wound healing:
Doubling the healing rate
A controlled trial published in the International Wound Journal found that adding NMES to standard compression therapy roughly doubled the wound healing rate compared to compression alone over four weeks.
83.6% wound area reduction in 12 weeks
A case report documented a patient with a venous leg ulcer who achieved an 83.6% reduction in wound area within 12 weeks of adding the geko™ device to their care plan, along with improved mobility.
Full closure in chronic, long-standing wounds
In a case series of five patients with chronic venous leg ulcers that had not responded to compression therapy, daily use of the geko™ device resulted in complete wound closure in all five patients within 4 to 8 weeks.
Pain relief within 24 hours
In one documented case, a 78-year-old patient with a chronic lower leg wound experienced significant pain relief within 24 hours of starting NMES therapy, with dramatic wound area reduction over the following 10 weeks.
8 out of 9 patients fully healed
An in-service evaluation involving nine patients with non-healing venous leg ulcers found that eight achieved full healing — many within two to twelve weeks — with the remaining patient showing significant improvement. Users consistently reported ease of use and reduced pain.
To read all of the clinical research behind the geko™ W3, click here — oneuphealthcare.co.nz/pages/geko-clinical-studies-page
About the geko™ W3 Device
The geko™ W3 is designed specifically for wound healing applications in the lower limb. It's small — about the size of a wristwatch — disposable, and worn just below the knee. It requires no wires, no machine, and can be worn during daily activities.
It works by gently stimulating the common peroneal nerve once per second, activating the calf and foot muscle pumps. Clinical evidence shows this can increase deep vein blood flow significantly — equivalent to the benefit of walking — which is especially important for people who are less mobile.
It's suitable for use alongside compression bandaging and standard wound dressings, and is registered as a medical device.
Is It Right for You?
The geko™ W3 may be worth considering if:
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You have a lower leg wound that hasn't healed with standard care
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You have a venous leg ulcer, arterial wound, or mixed aetiology wound
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You have reduced mobility that limits natural calf pump function
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You're experiencing pain or swelling alongside your wound
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Your wound has been present for more than 4 weeks without meaningful progress
We always recommend discussing new treatments with your healthcare provider or wound care nurse, particularly if you have a complex medical history.
Find Out More
The geko™ W3 device is available in New Zealand through OneUp Healthcare. You can view the product and clinical studies on our website, or contact us directly if you have questions about whether it's suitable for your situation.
