Compression stockings are widely used to maintain proper physiological pressure in the lower extremities. Such stockings are used in the complex treatment of varicose veins as well as in the prevention of disease. In medicine, special underwear for veins is called a medical jersey. Also called compression or anti-varicose underwear, medical jersey.
Wearing stockings, socks, and compression knee pants is recommended for phlebologists for varicose veins. Such underwear is also worth wearing for thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, lymphedema, and other problems with the blood vessels in the limbs.
What kind of compression underwear is better - compression stockings or stockings, the doctor will tell and recommend during the appointment.
When using such underwear, the therapeutic effect is manifested in the fact that the stockings, leggings or stockings support the blood vessels, compressing the dilated vein. This, in turn, redistributes blood flow evenly from dilated blood vessels to healthy ones.
Such underwear helps to activate blood circulation, improves the nutrition of tissues.
Choosing the right compression stocking can reduce the risk of blood clots.
Another important argument in favor of using such underwear is that there is almost no contraindication to the use of medical knitwear. It does not cause side effects, but it is a good way to prevent the progression of varicose veins and help maintain the physiological condition of the veins.
How does a compression garment work for varicose veins?
Previously, when medical knitwear was not yet manufactured, elastic bandage was used to treat varicose veins. However, their use has a number of significant disadvantages.
- First, elastic bandages must be applied over a long period of time and this must be done correctly to achieve the desired effect.
- An important disadvantage is that it is not possible to wear an elastic bandage at all times. The non-aesthetic look does not allow it to be worn everyday, while compression underwear and knitwear from other modern manufacturers, for example, are very beautiful and aesthetic.
- Despite the low cost of bandages, there is no way to save money while wearing them. After all, such a bandage quickly becomes unusable. Therefore, it is better to learn how to choose high quality knitwear and buy compression underwear for varicose veins.
What is compression underwear and what is its effect? By compressing the dilated blood vessels, this binder accelerates blood flow through the deep veins. As a result, venous stagnation is eliminated, which is a prerequisite for the development of varicose veins. Anyone who cares about which compression underwear is better for them should consider buying good quality products. After all, branded, high-quality knitwear provides a gradual, i. e. gradual, drop in pressure from the wrist to the shoulder or from the lower leg to the thigh.
For example, a good compression lingerie online store for varicose veins offers stockings that provide maximum (100%) pressure in the leg and partial (40%) in the thigh area. From a physiological point of view, this distribution is the most correct and therefore provides the greatest therapeutic effect. With this method of pressure distribution, the outflow of blood is normalized due to the following effect:
- The operation of the valve system improves and returns to normal wheel cutting.
- The dilated lumen of the peripheral veins of the thighs and legs, especially the subcutaneous veins, is reduced.
- The muscle pump effect is enhanced. When the muscles contract during exercise, the blood shifts upward.
Effective compression underwear for pregnant women. However, during pregnancy, you should choose such a jersey based on your doctor’s individual recommendations.
How to choose compression stockings?
Before choosing compression stockings for varicose veins, you should clearly understand that such underwear cannot eliminate the serious causes of venous insufficiency. Therefore, it is used before radical treatment. The medical jersey simulates a situation as if the veins have dilated, removed, or closed.
In addition, it is important to understand that non-surgical treatment of foot-and-mouth disease should always be comprehensive. Only then will the effect be maximized. It is very important not only to wear compression underwear, but also to use ointments and creams prescribed by a doctor, to practice folk remedies for the prevention and treatment of varicose veins, and to lead a healthy lifestyle.
To get the most visible effect, it is important to choose the right medical underwear. In this case, not only the opinions that can be read on the network and the prices of the bedding must be taken into account, but also its quality and compression classes.
Compression stockings are generally divided into three types:
- hospital - that is, one that is used exclusively in a hospital;
- medical;
- prophylactic.
But regardless of whether the jersey needs treatment or prevention, it should only be purchased at specialty stores or stores that are official distributors of such underwear manufacturers recognized by doctors. It is important that such stores help consumers choose the right size of jersey, as the effectiveness of the treatment depends on it. To find the perfect lingerie, the seller first measures the legs in four places. A special size table is then used to select the stocking or stockings.
You can buy underwear with four compression levels:
- First class compression(18-21 mmHg) - a preventive jersey that is recommended to wear in the following cases:
- during pregnancy;
- prone to varicose veins;
- in the presence of initial symptoms of varicose veins: if the veins are noticeable under the skin, the legs hurt after prolonged standing or sitting, distinct spider veins in the legs can be distinguished and edema appears in the evening;
- if a person pursues a lifestyle in which they are forced to sit or stand for a long time - in the office, driving a car, behind a desk, etc.
- Second compression class(23-32 Hgmm) - the most popular underwear. Class 2 compression stockings are used to treat varicose veins, thrombophlebitis. The hospital also operates Compression Class 2 hospital knitwear.
- The third class of compression(34-46 mmHg) - Compression tights in this class are used in patients with trophic disorders and severe venous insufficiency.
- The fourth class of compression(From 49 mmHg) - this class is very rarely used - for men and women with lymphedema.
Before you buy stockings or stockings for varicose veins, you need to decide exactly what underwear to buy. Those who buy anti-varicose tights for the first time should not choose Compression Class 2 right away. After all, it could easily be that this will be too strong a compression for the vascular system.
First of all, it is better to buy cheap underwear - the price of first class compression tights from some companies will be quite acceptable. After wearing and gradually getting used to such underwear, you can later buy more expensive orthopedic tights to treat varicose veins.
Only Class 1 underwear is used for prevention. If someone is already developing varicose veins, a phlebologist will help you choose the stockings. Also, ask your doctor how to choose compression stockings for pregnant women to make the expectant mother feel comfortable wearing such underwear. In this case, it is important to choose the size of the anti-varicose stocking or stockings so as not to cause any noticeable discomfort.
But no matter how enthusiastic the reviews are about this or that lingerie, you need to understand that curing varicose veins will not work because wearing lingerie will not eliminate the causes of the disease. Compression stockings help stop the development of the disease and prevent the development of new varicose veins.
In hot summer weather, it is impossible to wear such underwear, so in summer you should use medications to treat varicose veins and use other methods to fight the disease.
In order not to damage the product and for maximum effect, you need to know how to put on the compression tights properly - this is indicated in the instructions.
No matter what the price of such bedding, it can retain its compression for about 5-7 months.
What do you need to know when buying compression stockings?
Before buying such underwear, you need to know clearly how to choose the right compression stockings for varicose veins. Special quality standards have been set for compression garments. The most important and most stringent of these is the European RAL-GZ-387.
Any manufacturer wishing to manufacture matching knitwear must initially undergo very strict certification in Switzerland or Germany. Therefore, if elastic orthopedic stockings for varicose veins are certified, this indicates high quality. Knitwear with such a certificate provides a distributed pressure on the limb (40-70-100%) and has a healing effect. The standard is evidenced by the packaging of the products and the presence of a special label.
To choose a good product, you need to focus not only on how much such knee pants or stockings cost, but above all on the manufacturer and the well-established point of sale of the product. Indeed, in the domestic market, it is very easy to make mistakes and buy fake medical stockings or stockings. In addition, in specialty stores, the customer is strongly asked to determine the size, for both men and women. You need to buy compression stockings for pregnant women at reputable stores.
Because medical underwear is worn daily, it is very important to choose a hypoallergenic model. Therefore, you should not focus on user opinions, but above all on personal feelings. The bedding must bear the mark of the European eco-standard Öko-Tex Standard 10 - this guarantees that the product is made of allergy-free material.
How to put on compression stockings correctly?
When buying medicated jerseys, you need to know how to put on and wear such underwear properly.
Class 2 compression stockings are most commonly worn by people who want to prevent varicose veins from progressing. After all, the efficiency and price of compression class 2 compression stockings are often the most acceptable for the patient. Nevertheless, it is often the case that compression grade 2 products are very uncomfortable for humans. Moreover, for men and women, compression grade 2 is most often found to be uncomfortable precisely because a person does not wear such a product properly. After all, it can’t be worn like a child’s stockings, picked up into an accordion, pulling the stockings up to the thighs. Both pantyhose and knee-length trousers or stockings should be put on slowly, gradually straightening the legs.
Such underwear is difficult for obese people to wear. Special tools can be purchased at the store to facilitate this process. The price of such devices depends on the manufacturer. Compression knitwear should be worn with gloves to prevent damage to the bedding with nails. In addition, if a person wears medical or other gloves, the canvas will slip better.
If you are uncomfortable wearing underwear in the second compression class, you may be able to limit yourself to the first class in some cases. In addition, the price of Class 1 compression stockings is lower for women and men. However, the price of stockings to treat varicose veins on the foot also depends on other factors.
A person wearing a medical shirt should have smooth legs - without roughness, without harsh skin. Cut your toenails short and file them to avoid inflating the garment.
It is better to put on such underwear in the morning, rested and accordingly not swollen limbs. In this case, both the leg and the jersey must be completely dry.
For those who are interested in whether it is possible to sleep in such stockings, you should understand that this is not necessary as the strain on the limbs during sleep is minimal.
If the phlebologist prescribed the patient to wear Class 3 products, it will be more difficult to pick them up and more time will have to be spent on this. It is better to use special tools for this.
If the size chart on that page is not clear, it is better to ask a professional how to choose the size of a compression stocking for surgery or everyday wear. After all, if the size is chosen wrong, wearing and wearing such underwear will be extremely uncomfortable.
It is important to take proper care of these items and know how to wash and dry them.
Compression clothing care
When buying women’s and men’s orthopedic underwear, keep in mind that it is most comfortable to have at least two pairs of such jerseys. After all, it should be washed daily to get rid of dust, debris and dead skin particles that can damage the fibers of your laundry very quickly.
Washing is done only by hand with baby soap. Such bedding cannot be machine washed. Wash at a temperature not exceeding 40 ° C. Do not iron or bleach. Also, do not use conditioner or rinse aid. After all, the structure of the astringent fabric is also destroyed.
Dry the compression stocking on a horizontal surface. You can't unscrew it, you can't unscrew it, you can easily get wet with a towel. Drying the jersey in the sun with the battery upright is not allowed.
You need to be very careful with the silicone strips that are important for securing your laundry. When washing, it is better not to wet it, but to wipe it with a disinfectant wipe.
Wearing such products depends on the woman's taste. But in general, knitwear from modern manufacturers is very beautiful and elegant.
Contraindications to wearing compression underwear
Before choosing compression knee pants for varicose veins, you need to know clearly if the patient has any contraindications to wearing them. The medical field has many such contraindications.
There are categorical as well as relative contraindications in which the use of such a field is permitted after consultation with physicians - cardiologists, dermatologists, endocrinologists.
Wearing a medical shirt is absolutely contraindicated in the following diseases:
- arteriosclerosis;
- endoarteritis;
- orthoarthritis;
- thromboangiitis obliterans.
Under these conditions, the lumen of the blood vessels decreases and the systolic blood pressure drops to 80 mm. rt. Art. Is therefore strictly forbidden to reduce the pressure in the lower extremities.
Compression clothing should be worn very carefully for those who have skin problems and skin that is very sensitive.
Do not wear stockings or stockings for allergic manifestations and inflammatory processes on the skin, as well as for dermatitis, bedsores, eczema, thrombophlebitis, open wounds.
If varicose veins occur due to diabetes, such underwear should also not be used. Compression stockings should not be used in septic phlebitis, severe heart and lung failure, when circulatory disorders occur at rest.
It is also thought that jersey can cause atrophy of the muscle layer in the walls of veins. If a person stops wearing medical underwear, the opposite effect is likely, causing the venous wall to stretch and the varicose veins to progress even more.
Of course, it is not possible to check the condition of individual veins in a person wearing such underwear. However, most phlebologists consider this theory to be wrong and cite the following evidence:
- a person may not wear a medical shirt day and night;
- when the veins are compressed, blood flow in them decreases but does not stop;
- muscular wall atrophy usually occurs when a person is genetically predisposed and when a locally specific inflammatory process develops with venous stasis, and these phenomena are reduced when using knitwear;
- sometimes after stopping the use of bedding, one initially feels a little worse because for a while the tone of the venous wall decreases, but we are not talking about atrophy.
In addition, after the end of the period of wearing such underwear, people with varicose veins may feel more difficult to walk. That’s why many people choose not to give up wearing it.
Thus, the compression garment used for many decades is a convenient and effective way to prevent and treat varicose veins. However, you should consult a phlebologist before using it. The doctor will determine the patient's condition and help you choose the most appropriate product.