Compression stockings are widely used to maintain physiologically correct pressure on a person's lower extremities. These socks are used in the complex treatment of varicose veins, as well as in the prevention of this disease. In medicine, the special underwear for veins is called a medical shirt. It is also called compression underwear or anti-varicose, medical shirt.
Tight pants, socks, as well as knee-length compression pants for varicose veins are recommended for use by phlebologists. This underwear should also be worn for thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, lymphedema, and other problems with the blood vessels in the extremities.
What type of compression underwear is, what is best - tights or compression socks, the doctor will tell you and recommend during the consultation.
The therapeutic effect of wearing these underwear is manifested by the fact that socks, leggings or tights support the vessels, compress the dilated vein. This, in turn, evenly redistributes blood flow from the dilated vessels to the healthy ones.
This underwear helps to activate blood circulation, improve tissue nutrition.
Choosing the right compression stocking can help reduce the risk of blood clots.
Another important argument in favor of using these underwear is that there are almost no contraindications to the use of medical knitwear. It does not cause side effects, but at the same time it is a good method to prevent the progression of varicose veins and helps to keep the veins in a physiological state.
How does compression garment for varicose veins work?
Previously, when medical knits were not produced, elastic bandages were used for varicose veins. However, its use has several significant disadvantages.
- First of all, elastic bandages must be applied for a long time and, to get the desired effect, this must be done correctly.
- A major disadvantage is the impossibility of wearing an elastic bandage all the time. The unaesthetic appearance does not allow you to wear it every day, while, for example, compression underwear and knits from other modern manufacturers look very nice and aesthetically pleasing.
- Although the dressings have a low price, it will not be possible to save on the time to use them. After all, this type of dressing 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 for and what is its effect? By compressing the dilated veins, this mesh tissue accelerates blood flow in the deep veins. As a result, venous stasis is eliminated, which is a prerequisite for the development of varicose veins. Anyone interested in which compression underwear is best for varicose veins should consider that high quality products are worth buying. After all, the branded and high-quality knits provide a graduation, that is, a gradual reduction in pressure from the wrist to the shoulder or from the leg to the thigh.
For example, a good online varicose compression underwear store offers socks that provide maximum pressure (100%) in the lower leg and partial (40%) in the thigh region. This distribution is the most correct from a physiological point of view, therefore, it provides the greatest therapeutic effect. With this pressure distribution mode, the blood flow is normalized due to the following effect:
- The work of the valve apparatus improves and returns to normal.
- The dilated lumen of the peripheral veins in the thighs and legs, especially the subcutaneous ones, decreases.
- The muscle pump effect is increased. When muscles contract during exercise, blood is pushed upward.
Effective compression underwear for pregnant women. But, during pregnancy, it is necessary to select this shirt, guided by the individual recommendations of a doctor.
How to choose compression socks?
Before choosing compression stockings for varicose veins, you need to clearly understand that underwear cannot eliminate the serious causes of venous insufficiency. Therefore, it is used before radical treatment. The medical shirt simulates the situation as if the veins expand, remove or seal.
In addition, it is important to understand that the non-surgical treatment of leg diseases must always be comprehensive. Only in this case will the effect be maximized. It is very important not only to wear compression underwear, but also to use doctor-prescribed ointments and creams, to practice folk remedies for the prevention and treatment of varicose veins, and also to lead a healthy lifestyle.
In order for the effect to be more noticeable, it is important to choose the right medical underwear. In this case, one must take into account not only the reviews that can be read on the net, and the prices of the clothes, but also their quality, compression classes.
Compression socks are generally divided into three types:
- hospital - that is, one that is used exclusively in a hospital;
- doctor;
- prophylactic.
But, regardless of whether the shirt is needed for treatment or prevention, it must be purchased exclusively at specialized stores or at official points of sale of manufacturers of these underwear recognized by doctors. It is important that, in these stores, the consumer is helped in choosing the right size for the shirt, as the effectiveness of the treatment depends on that. To find the perfect underwear, the salesperson first measures the leg in four places. Next, a specially sized table is used, according to which the socks or tights are selected.
You can buy underwear in four degrees of compression:
- first class compression(18-21 mm Hg) - preventive mesh, whose use is indicated in the following cases:
- During the pregnancy;
- prone to varicose veins;
- in the presence of the initial symptoms of varicose veins: if the veins are noticeable under the skin, after standing or sitting for a long time, the legs ache, it is possible to distinguish the pronounced spider veins in the legs and the edema appears at night;
- if a person leads a lifestyle in which he is forced to sit or stand a lot - in the office, driving a car, behind a counter, etc.
- Second Compression Class(23-32 mm Hg) - the most popular underwear. Compression class 2 compression stockings are used for the treatment of varicose veins and thrombophlebitis. The hospital also uses hospital grade 2 compression garments.
- third class of compression(34-46 mm Hg) - Compression pants in this class are used for patients with trophic disorders and severe venous insufficiency.
- fourth class of compression(from 49 mm Hg) - this class is used very rarely - for men and women with lymph edema.
Before you buy socks or tights for varicose veins, you should decide exactly what type of underwear is best for you. Whoever buys anti-varicose pantyhose for the first time should not immediately choose the 2nd compression class. After all, it may well be that this compression is too strong for the vascular system.
First, it's better to buy cheap underwear - the price of 1st class compression socks from some companies will be quite acceptable. After you wear it and gradually get used to this underwear, you can later buy more expensive orthopedic pantyhose for varicose veins.
For prevention purposes, only Class 1 underwear is worn. If a person is already developing varicose veins, a phlebologist will help them choose pantyhose. You should also ask your doctor about choosing compression stockings for pregnant women so that the mother-to-be feels good wearing them. In this case, it is important to choose the size of the anti-varicose socks or tights so that they do not cause noticeable discomfort.
But as enthusiastic as the critics about this or that underwear may be, you must understand that it will not work to cure varicose veins with your help, as wearing underwear does not eliminate the causes of the disease. Compression stockings help stop the development of the disease and prevent the emergence of new varicose veins.
In the heat of summer, it's impossible to wear these underwear, so during the summer it's necessary to use varicose vein medication and other methods to fight this disease.
In order not to damage the product and to obtain the best effect, it is necessary to know how to correctly put on the compression pants - as indicated in the instructions.
Regardless of the price of this linen, it can maintain compression for about 5-7 months.
What You Need to Know When Buying Compression Socks?
Before you buy these underwear, you need to clearly know how to choose the right compression stockings for varicose veins. Specific quality standards have been defined for compression garments. The most important and rigorous among them is the European RAL-GZ-387.
Any manufacturer intending to produce matching meshes must initially undergo very strict certification in Switzerland or Germany. Therefore, if orthopedic elastic stockings for varicose veins have this certificate, this indicates their high quality. Knits with this certificate provide pressure that is distributed over the limb (40-70-100%) and are healing. The pattern is evidenced by the packaging of the products, as well as the presence of a special label.
To choose a good product, you need to focus not only on how much those socks or pantyhose cost, but first of all on the manufacturer and the proven point of sale of the merchandise. Indeed, on the domestic market it is very easy to go wrong and buy counterfeit medical socks or tights. Furthermore, in specialized stores, the buyer will definitely be guided on how to determine the size for both men and women. At reputable stores, you need to buy compression stockings for pregnant women.
Since medical underwear is worn on a daily basis, it is very important to choose a hypoallergenic model. So you don't need to focus on user ratings, but first of all on personal feelings. The Oeko-Tex Standard 10 symbol of the European ecology standard must be on the clothing - this guarantees that the product is made of an allergy-free material.
How to put on compression socks correctly?
When shopping for medicated t-shirts, you need to know how to properly put on and wear these underwear.
Most of the time, people looking to prevent the progression of varicose veins wear Class 2 compression stockings. After all, both the efficiency and price of Class 2 compression stockings are often the most acceptable to the patient. However, it often happens that 2nd degree compression products are very uncomfortable for a person to use. Also, most of the time, second class compression for men and women turns out to be inconvenient precisely because a person does not use this product correctly. After all, it can't be worn like children's pantyhose, tied to an accordion and pulling the sock up to the thigh. The pantyhose and pantyhose should be put on slowly, gradually straightening them over the leg.
These underwear are difficult for obese people to wear. To facilitate this process, special tools can be purchased at the store. How much these devices cost depends on the manufacturer. Compression knits must be worn with gloves so as not to damage clothing with nails. Also, if a person is wearing medical or other gloves, the clothing slides better.
If the underwear from the second compression class is uncomfortable to wear, in some cases you may want to stick to the first class. Also, the price of Class 1 compression socks for women and men is lower. However, the price of varicose leg stockings depends on other factors.
A person wearing a medical shirt should have smooth feet - no roughness, no calluses. Cut your toenails short and file them to avoid puffing your clothes.
It is best to wear these underwear in the morning, on limbs that are rested and therefore not swollen. In this case, both legs and shirts must be completely dry.
For those interested in knowing if it is possible to sleep with these socks on, it is necessary to understand that there is no need, because during sleep the load on the limbs is minimal.
If the phlebologist has prescribed the patient to use Class 3 products, it will be more difficult to put them on and therefore more time will have to be spent on them. For this it is better to use special devices.
If the size chart provided on a particular website doesn't seem clear, it's best to ask a specialist about choosing the size of compression stockings for surgery or everyday wear. After all, if the size is chosen incorrectly, both wearing and wearing these underwear will be extremely inconvenient.
It's important to take good care of these items and know how to wash and dry them.
Care of compression garments
When shopping for women's and men's orthopedic underwear, you must consider that it is more convenient to have at least two pairs of this mesh. After all, you need to wash it daily to get rid of dust, debris and dead skin particles, which can quickly damage clothing fibers.
Washing is only done by hand, with children's soap. This type of clothing cannot be typewritten. You need to wash at a temperature not exceeding 40°C. Ironing and bleaching is prohibited. Also, do not use conditioners and rinses. After all, they also destroy the constrictor tissue structure.
Dry the compression sock by spreading it on a horizontal surface. You can't twist and twist, you can easily get wet with a towel. It is not allowed to dry the shirt in the sun, battery in a vertical position.
It is necessary to be very careful with the silicone strips, which are important for the fixation of clothes. When washing, it is best not to wet and dry with a disinfectant napkin.
What to wear with these products depends on the woman's taste. But, as a rule, knitwear from modern manufacturers is very beautiful and elegant.
Contraindications for wearing compression underwear
Before choosing knee-high compression for varicose veins, you need to know clearly if the patient has contraindications to using them. The medical shirt has several contraindications.
There are categorical as well as relative contraindications, in which the use of this shirt is allowed after consulting a physician - cardiologist, dermatologist, endocrinologist.
The use of a medical shirt is absolutely contraindicated for such diseases:
- atherosclerosis;
- endoarteritis;
- orthoarteritis;
- thromboangiitis obliterans.
Under these conditions, the vessel lumen decreases and the systolic blood pressure drops to 80 mm. rt. Art. Therefore, it is strictly prohibited to reduce the pressure on the lower extremities.
Compression garments must be worn with great care for those who have skin problems and high skin sensitivity.
You should not wear socks or tights for allergic manifestations and inflammatory processes in the skin, as well as for dermatitis, bedsores, eczema, thrombophlebitis, open wounds.
If varicose veins manifest as a result of diabetes, these underwear should also not be worn. Compression stockings are not used in case of septic phlebitis, severe cardiopulmonary failure, if circulatory problems manifest at rest.
You may also find the opinion that the jersey can cause atrophy of the muscular layer of the vein walls. When a person stops wearing medical underwear, the opposite effect is likely, as a result of which the venous wall tightens and the varicose veins progress further.
Of course, there is no way to check the status of every vein in a person wearing these underwear. However, most phlebologists find this theory wrong, citing the following evidence in its favor:
- a person cannot wear a medical shirt all the time;
- if the veins are compressed, the blood flow in them decreases but does not stop;
- as a rule, muscle wall atrophy develops if the individual has a genetic disposition, as well as a specific local inflammatory process with venous stasis develops, and when using meshes these phenomena are reduced;
- sometimes, after you stop using the linen, you feel a little worse at first, as the tone of the venous wall fades for a while, but we're not talking about atrophy.
Also, after the period of wearing these underwear has ended, people with varicose veins may feel that it has become more difficult for them to walk. Therefore, many people choose not to give up on using it.
Thus, compression garments, used for many decades, are a convenient and effective method for the prevention and treatment of varicose veins. However, before you start using it, you need to consult a phlebologist. The doctor will determine what the patient's condition is and will help you choose the most suitable product.