Compression stockings are widely used to maintain the correct physiological pressure of the lower limbs of the human body. This stocking is used for the complex treatment of varicose veins and the prevention of this disease. In medicine, underwear designed specifically for veins is called a medical sweatshirt. It is also called compression or anti varicose underwear, medical sweatshirt.
It is recommended that the phlebologist wear tights, socks, and knee compression stockings for varicose veins. Such underwear should also be worn for blood clots, thrombophlebitis, lymphedema and other limb vascular problems.
What kind of compression underwear, which is better-compression tights or stockings, the doctor will tell and recommend at the time of the appointment.
The therapeutic effect when using this kind of underwear is manifested by the fact that stockings, tights or tights support the blood vessels and squeeze the dilated veins. In turn, this redistributes blood flow from the dilated blood vessels to healthy blood vessels evenly.
This kind of underwear helps to activate blood circulation and improve tissue nutrition.
Choosing the right compression stockings can help reduce the risk of blood clots.
Another important argument for the use of such underwear is that there are few contraindications to the use of medical knitwear. It does not cause side effects, but at the same time it is a good way to prevent the progression of varicose veins and helps keep the veins in a physiological state.
How to treat varicose veins with compression clothes?
Earlier, when no medical knitwear was produced, elastic bandages were used to treat varicose veins. However, their use has several obvious disadvantages.
- First of all, elastic bandages need to be used for a long time. To achieve the desired results, they must be carried out correctly.
- An important disadvantage is that elastic bandages cannot be worn all the time. The unsightly appearance does not allow for daily wear, while for example, compression underwear and knitwear from other modern manufacturers look very beautiful and beautiful.
- Although bandages are inexpensive, it is impossible to save money when wearing them. After all, such bandages will soon become unusable. Therefore, it is best for patients with varicose veins to learn to choose high-quality knitwear and buy compression underwear.
What is compression underwear and what is its function? This knitted fabric compresses the expanded veins and accelerates blood flow through deep veins. As a result, venous stasis is eliminated, which is a prerequisite for the development of varicose veins. Friends who are interested in which compression underwear is better for varicose veins should consider buying high-quality products. After all, the brand's premium knitwear offers a gradual reduction in pressure from the wrist to the shoulder or from the calf to the thigh.
For example, an excellent online store for varicose vein compression underwear provides stockings that provide maximum (100%) pressure on the calf and partial (40%) pressure on the thigh area. From a physiological point of view, this distribution is the most correct and therefore provides the greatest therapeutic effect. Using this pressure distribution pattern, blood outflow is normalized due to the following effects:
- The operation of the valve device has improved and returned to normal.
- The dilated lumens of the peripheral veins of the thighs and calves, especially the lumens of the subcutaneous veins, have shrunk.
- Muscle pumping effect increases. When muscles contract during exercise, blood is pushed up.
Effectively compress maternity underwear. But during pregnancy, you need to choose such a jersey according to the individual recommendations of your doctor.
How to choose elastic stockings?
Before choosing compression stockings for varicose veins, you need to clearly understand that such underwear cannot eliminate the serious causes of venous insufficiency. Therefore, it is used before radical treatment. The medical jersey simulates the expansion, removal or closure of blood vessels.
In addition, it is important to understand that non-surgical treatment of leg diseases should always be comprehensive. Only in this case will the effect be maximized. Not only wear tight underwear, but also use ointments and ointments prescribed by the doctor, practice folk remedies for the prevention and treatment of varicose veins, and live a healthy lifestyle.
In order to make the most significant effect, it is important to choose the right medical underwear. In this case, consider not only the reviews and the price of the linen that can be read on the Internet, but also the quality and compression level.
Compression socks are usually divided into three types:
- Hospital-a hospital dedicated to hospitals;
- medical;
- Preventive.
However, whether it is for treatment or prevention, it must be purchased in specialty stores or official distributor stores of such underwear manufacturers approved by doctors. It is important that in such stores, consumers must be assisted in choosing the appropriate size for the jersey, because the effectiveness of the processing depends on this. In order to find the perfect underwear, the salesperson first measures the legs in four positions. Next, use a special size chart to choose stockings or tights based on this chart.
You can buy underwear with four degrees of compression:
- One level compression(18-21 mmHg)-Preventive sweatshirt, which needs to be worn under the following conditions:
- pregnancy period;
- Prone to varicose veins;
- When the initial symptoms of varicose veins appear: if the subcutaneous veins are obvious, stand or sit for a long time, leg pain, you can distinguish obvious spider veins on the legs, and edema at night;
- If a person lives a lifestyle that has to sit or stand often-in the office, driving, behind the counter, etc.
- The second type of compression(23-32 mmHg)-the most popular underwear. The second type of compression socks is used to treat varicose veins and thrombophlebitis. The hospital also uses compression grade 2 hospital knitwear.
- The third type of compression(34-46 mm Hg)-This type of compression tights is used for patients with nutritional disorders and severe venous insufficiency.
- The fourth type of compression(From 49 mmHg)-this type is rarely used-suitable for men and women with lymphedema.
Before buying stockings or tights for varicose veins, you should determine exactly which underwear is better. Those who buy anti-varicose tights for the first time should not choose the second level compression immediately. After all, this is probably too strong for the vascular system.
First of all, it is best to buy cheap underwear-the price of some companies' Class 1 compression tights is acceptable. After wearing it, I gradually get used to this kind of underwear, and I can buy more expensive varicose veins orthopedic pantyhose in the future.
As a precaution, use only category 1 underwear. If a person already has varicose veins, then a phlebologist will help you choose tights. You should also ask your doctor how to choose compression tights for pregnant women so that mothers-to-be feel good when wearing such underwear. In this case, it is important to choose the size of the anti-varicose tights or stockings so as not to cause obvious discomfort.
But no matter how enthusiastic the comment on this or that underwear is, you need to understand that it will not work to treat varicose veins, because wearing underwear will not eliminate the cause of the disease. Compression stockings help stop the development of the disease and prevent the appearance of new varicose veins.
In the hot summer, this kind of underwear is impossible to wear. Therefore, in the summer, you need to take medication for varicose veins and use other methods to combat the disease.
In order not to damage the product and get maximum results, you need to know how to put on the tights properly-this is explained in the instructions.
Regardless of the price of this linen, it can remain compressed for about 5-7 months.
What do I 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. Specific quality standards have been defined for pressure garments. The most important and strictest of these is the European RAL-GZ-387.
Any manufacturer seeking to produce matching knitwear must first pass very strict certification in Switzerland or Germany. Therefore, if varicose vein elastic orthopedic stockings have such a certificate, it means that it is of good quality. Knitwear with such a certificate provides pressure distribution on the limbs (40-70-100%) and has a therapeutic effect. This standard is proved by the packaging of the product and the existence of a special label.
To choose a good product, you not only need to pay attention to the price of such knee-length stockings or stockings, but also to the manufacturer and the proven point of sale of the product. Indeed, it is easy to make mistakes in the domestic market, buying fake medical stockings or tights. In addition, in specialty stores, buyers will definitely be prompted to determine the size, regardless of male or female. In a trusted store, you need to buy compression stockings for pregnant women.
Since medical underwear is worn every day, it is very important to choose a hypoallergenic style. Therefore, you don’t need to pay attention to user comments, but first to pay attention to personal feelings. The linen must bear the Oeko-Tex Standard 10 logo of European environmental standards-this ensures that the product is made of hypoallergenic materials.
How to wear elastic stockings correctly?
When buying a medicated sweater, you need to know how to put it on and how to wear this type of underwear correctly.
In most cases, people seeking to prevent the progression of varicose veins will wear level 2 compression stockings. After all, the efficiency and price of Level 2 compression stockings are often the most acceptable to patients. However, products with secondary compression are often very uncomfortable for people to wear. In addition, in most cases, the second type of compression results for men and women are inconvenient, precisely because people do not wear this product correctly. After all, it cannot be worn like a child's tights, gathered with an accordion, and pulled the stockings to the thighs. Tights and knee-length socks or stockings should be worn slowly, gradually straightening on the legs.
Such underwear can be difficult for obese people to wear. To facilitate this process, special tools can be purchased in the store. The cost of such equipment depends on the manufacturer. Compressed knitwear should wear gloves to prevent nails from damaging the linen. In addition, if a person wears medical gloves or other gloves, the sliding effect of the linen cloth will be better.
If the underwear of the second compression level is uncomfortable to wear, in some cases you can limit yourself to the first level. In addition, the price of compression grade 1 compression socks for men and women is lower. However, the price of stockings for leg varicose veins depends on other factors.
People wearing medical sweatshirts should have smooth feet-no roughness, calluses. Cut your toenails short and file them flat to avoid staining your clothes.
It is best to put on such underwear in the morning and rest well, so the limbs should not be swollen. In this case, the legs and jersey must be completely dry.
For those who are interested in whether it is possible to wear this kind of stockings to sleep, you need to understand that there is no need to do so, because the load on the limbs during sleep is small.
If a phlebologist prescribes a category 3 product to the patient, it will be more difficult to wear, so it will take more time. For this, it is best to use special equipment.
If the size chart provided on a particular website seems unclear, it is best to consult an expert on how to choose the size of compression stockings for surgery or daily wear. After all, if the size is not selected correctly, such underwear will be extremely inconvenient to wear or wear.
It is very important to take good care of these items and know how to wash and dry them.
Compression clothing care
When buying orthopedic underwear for men and women, one needs to consider that it is most convenient to have at least two pairs of such jerseys. After all, you need to wash every day to remove dust, debris and dead skin particles, which can quickly damage the fibers of your clothes.
Washing can only be done by hand, using baby soap. This linen cannot be washed with a typewriter. You need to wash at a temperature not exceeding 40°C. Ironing and bleaching are prohibited. In addition, do not use conditioners and rinses. After all, they also destroy the structure of contractile tissue.
Lay the compression stockings on a level surface and let them dry. You can't wring it out, it gets wet easily with a towel. The jersey is dried in the sun and the battery cannot be placed vertically.
You need to be very careful with the silicone strips, which are important for securing clothes. When washing, it is best not to get wet and wipe with a sterile paper towel.
What to wear with these products depends on the woman's taste. But, as a rule, the knitwear of modern manufacturers is very beautiful and elegant.
Contraindications of wearing compression underwear
Before choosing compression and knee socks for varicose veins, you need to clearly understand whether the patient has contraindications to wearing them. Medical jerseys have several such contraindications.
There are absolute contraindications and related contraindications. After consulting a doctor (cardiologist, dermatologist, endocrinologist), it is allowed to wear this sweatshirt.
Wearing medical jerseys is definitely a taboo for the following diseases:
- Atherosclerosis;
- Endarteritis;
- Positive arteritis;
- Thromboangiitis obliterans.
In this case, the blood vessel lumen is reduced and the systolic blood pressure drops to 80 mm. rt. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to reduce the pressure of the lower limbs.
People with skin problems and highly sensitive skin should wear pressure suits very carefully.
You should not wear stockings or tights because of allergic manifestations and skin inflammation, as well as dermatitis, bedsores, eczema, thrombophlebitis, and open wounds.
If varicose veins occur due to diabetes, this type of underwear should not be used. If circulatory system problems occur during rest, compression stockings cannot be used in cases of infectious phlebitis or severe cardiopulmonary insufficiency.
You can also find the idea that jerseys can cause atrophy of the muscle layer of the vein wall. When a person stops wearing medical underwear, the opposite effect may occur, so the vein walls will stretch and varicose veins will develop further.
Of course, people wearing this kind of underwear cannot check the condition of every vein. However, most phlebologists believe that this theory is wrong and cited the following evidence to support this:
- One cannot wear medical clothes all day long;
- If the vein is compressed, the blood flow in it will decrease, but it will not stop;
- Generally, if a person has a genetic predisposition, and if a local specific inflammatory process develops with venous stasis, the muscle wall will shrink, and when knitwear is used, these phenomena will be reduced;
- Sometimes, after stopping the use of linen, a person feels a bit bad at first, because the pitch of the vein wall decreases for a while, but we are not talking about atrophy.
In addition, after wearing this kind of underwear, people with varicose veins may find it more difficult to walk. Therefore, many people choose not to give up wearing them.
Therefore, the compression suit, which has been used for decades, is a convenient and effective method to prevent and treat varicose veins. However, you need to consult a phlebologist before starting to use it. The doctor will determine the patient's condition and help choose the most suitable product.