Adherence to health-related behaviour changes for the management of venous leg ulcers (VLUs) is often poor and individuals struggle to initiate or maintain these changes. There have been various models designed to explain or predict the individual’s likelihood to treatment adherence and this article will explore the most pertinent aspects of the Health Belief Model and Health Locus of Control models to explore the wider topic of adherence in healthcare. The discussion will then focus on individuals with VLUs to explore aspects of an individual’s knowledge, pain and depression, as these factors have been shown to reduce their ability to adhere to advised treatment for their VLU.