To maintain physiologically correct pressure on the lower leg, in complex therapy and prevention of varicose veins, compression socks are widely used today.
In the medical literature, such special underwear is also called medical socks, anti-varicose, compression underwear or medical compression socks.
These are socks, recommended by phlebologists as a treatment and prevention of various foot blood vessel problems. Compression underwear is used mainly for varicose veins, thrombosis, trophic ulcer epithelium, thrombophlebitis, lymphedema.
- The therapeutic effect of compression underwear is due to the supporting effect, squeezing the dilated veins, which contributes to the redistribution of blood flow from the altered and dilated veins to healthy ones.
- It improves tissue nutrition, improves blood circulation
- The most important thing is that such a jersey, when used properly and the right size, reduces the risk of blood clots.
- And what is also important, if there are no contraindications of compression underwear for its use, there are no side effects, this is a safe and easy method to prevent varicose veins, keeping the veins in a natural, physiological state.
Therapeutic effect of compression tights for varicose veins?
Earlier, before the mass production of high-quality medical linen, elastic bandages were widely used, their use had several disadvantages:
- first, they have to be used correctly every time, which doesn’t always work, and takes a lot of time
- second, the appearance of bandages does not allow them to be worn, for example, to work
- third, the low price for them turned out to be deceptive, because the bandages deteriorated very quickly, which negated all savings.
What are the effects of using medical jerseys? When squeezing an enlarged vein, a compression garment for varicose veins accelerates blood flow through the deep veins, thus eliminating venous congestion. Moreover, high-quality modern compression socks provide a graduate, that is, a gradual decrease in pressure from the bottom of the foot to the thigh, or from the hand to the shoulder.
For example, at the bottom of the leg, the pressure created by compression stockings or tights is a maximum of 100%, and at the top of the thigh is 40%. These are the most beneficial and physiologically determined stress changes, which have a therapeutic effect. The way the pressure is distributed in these veins stimulates and normalizes the outflow of blood upwards due to:
- improvement and normalization of the valve apparatus
- reduction of the enlarged peripheral lumen, especially the saphenous vein of the thigh and lower leg
- increase the effect of muscle pumping - when muscles contract as a result of physical exercise, blood is pushed upwards.
However, it should be borne in mind that treatment with compression linen for varicose veins does not eliminate the underlying cause of venous insufficiency, and it is used before radical treatment, surgery. This jersey mimics the situation - that the enlarged veins are closed or removed.
In addition, conservative non -surgical treatment for foot disease should be comprehensive. Maximum effect can be obtained if you use creams, ointments recommended by your doctor, lead a healthy lifestyle, wear compression stockings or tights every day, and even use folk remedies to treat varicose veins.
Contraindications to the use of compression socks
As with any treatment, every drug or medication has some contraindications, and medical jerseys are no exception. Some people should not wear compression garments at all, others should use them with caution after a thorough diagnosis and consultation with a doctor. If there are relative contraindications, you should consult a dermatologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist.
- Such underwear is absolutely contraindicated for atherosclerosis, thromboangiitis obliterans, endoarteritis, orthoarteritis. With chronic diseases such as leg arteries, which leads to a decrease in vessel lumen and systolic blood pressure less than 80 mm. rt. Art. it is impossible to reduce the pressure on the lower part of the foot with the help of a medical jersey.
- Medical knitwear should be used with caution by people with overly sensitive skin.
- It is not recommended to use compression underwear for inflammatory skin diseases, allergic skin reactions, various dermatitis, lying wounds, open wounds, acute thrombophlebitis and eczema.
- Diabetes mellitus is a relative contraindication, because in the event of damage to the foot canal due to diabetes, such underwear should also not be used.
- With septic phlebitis and severe cardiopulmonary failure, when circulatory disturbances occur during rest, compression socks should also not be used.
Many people are afraid to start wearing compression underwear due to the fact that there is an opinion that jersey triggers the development of atrophy of the muscular layer of the vein wall, and when its use is stopped, the opposite negative effect may occur - when the venous wall can not withstand blood pressure in the vessel lumen. Therefore, due to atrophy of the venous wall, the existing varicose veins will progress.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to conduct clinical studies on every vein subjected to compression, but phlebologists believe that this opinion is wrong, because:
- Patients should not wear compression garments at all times
- In veins that are subject to compression, blood flow is reduced, rather than stopped altogether.
- Muscle wall atrophy most often occurs with genetic disposal and local specific inflammatory processes with venous stasis and venous filling. And all of this is reduced when wearing a jersey.
- This can only occur according to the initial sensation of the patient when the use of linen is stopped. In this case, a temporary deterioration in condition and well -being occurs for a while, which is explained not by atrophy and development of varicose veins, but by a temporary decrease in the tone of the venous wall.
- Reviews and feelings of patients at the end of the use of compression underwear with varicose veins - it is difficult for most to get used to starting to walk after wearing compression socks. Many argue that when using medical products, the feet become, it seems, lighter and many do not want to stop using them anymore.
How to choose compression garments
Medical compression underwear, jerseys are divided into: hospital, used only in hospitals, prophylactic and therapeutic. We will consider in detail the compression class of medical anti-varicose compression socks, how to choose compression underwear, how to wear and how to care for them.
The most important thing is to buy compression stockings, tights, knee level exclusively at specialized orthopedic salons or dealers of well -known brands. In it, trained staff know how to choose the right size of linen, as the wrong size can turn the treatment into completely ineffective. In a specialty store, the seller will measure the feet in 4 places and choose the size of tights or socks according to a special schedule.
There are 4 degrees of compression:
- 18-21 mm. rt. Art. Compression class 1 is a prophylactic compression that can and should be worn continuously by people: prone to varicose veins, pregnant women, people with early signs of varicose veins, when the veins under the skin stand out strongly, if pain in the legs appears afterprolonged sitting or standing, if spider veins are pronounced and edema appears in the legs and ankles at the end of the day, a healthy person whose lifestyle and work forces them to sit or stand for long periods of time - for office workers, drivers, stylistshair, salesman.
- 23 - 32 mm. rt. Art. Compression class 2 is the best and most popular class used to treat thrombophlebitis and varicose veins.
- 34 - 46 mm. rt. Art. Compression class 3 - used for trophic disorders and severe venous insufficiency.
- 49 and over 4 compression classes - used very rarely, with lymphatic edema.
Those who choose anti-varicose knitwear for the first time can not immediately buy expensive underwear 2nd level of compression, there is a possibility that your vascular system will not be able to withstand it. When you walk around with cheap underwear for some time, get used to it, if you feel comfortable with it, you can then pick up better and more expensive compression underwear.
For prevention, of course, it is only worth using the first compression class underwear, and already with the development of varicose veins, the compression class is determined by a phlebologist. Compression underwear can not cure varicose veins, because the reasons for its appearance are very deep and external influences can only be suspended, not allowed to grow further, that is, compression tights for varicose veins are designed to prevent the appearance of new varicose wreaths. In the summer, of course, it is impossible to wear knitwear, so in the summer you should take the drug by mouth, or use other methods of treatment.
You should also know that any compression underwear maintains compression for no more than 5-7 months.
The opinions of some women about the quality of compensated underwear from various manufacturers show that expensive models are not always of better quality than budget ones. German -made linen is of good quality, relatively affordable.
What to look for when buying and how to avoid counterfeiting?
There are quality standards for medical compression underwear for varicose veins, one of the most important and stringent is the European standard RAL-GZ-387. To allow a manufacturer to use this standard logo, he or she must undergo strict certification in Germany or Switzerland. If the underwear has such a certificate, this means that it is really high quality, produces a distributed pressure of 40-70-100% and therapeutic, you can learn about these standards from the packaging and labels on the product.
It is worth to choose the manufacturer carefully, because there are many fakes in our market, so it is better to buy compression stockings or compression tights either in a dealer store or in a specialty store, where experts will choose the right model exactly according to measurementsyou.
Since such knitwear should be worn every day, it must be hypoallergenic; to determine this, the product purchased must have the European environmental safety standard mark Oeko-Tex Standard 10.
Are there any oddities while wearing compression stockings, tights, golf?
You should be aware that even the second class of compression socks, which are considered the most common, are sometimes "beyond their power" for patients:
- Often this happens because of the discomfort and difficulty of wearing underwear on your feet. The peculiarity of such knitwear is that it cannot be worn like a child’s tights, collect it in an accordion and then pull it up. Both stockings and tights should be worn gradually, spreading on the legs. If a person has a big belly, and tying lace on boots is already a problem, then it will also be difficult to wear underwear.
- For ease of wearing, many use special devices offered at the same salon. And also gloves, which must be worn, it can be household and medical, because expensive underwear can be damaged by manicure and underwear will slip better if your hands are in gloves.
- Naturally, toenails should be cut, filed, there should be no corn, roughness, otherwise the linen will quickly break or there will be a lot of suction.
- It is also important that dry feet, as well as underwear, wear compression socks in the morning, when the feet are not swollen and rest.
- It is very difficult to wear compression class 3 products - this is a lot of work, and if the patient believes his phlebologist and is sure that he needs such treatment, then you should be patient, otherwise you should not start treatment from this class. It is usually recommended to wear class 3 and 4 compression using a special special device.
How to care for compression garments?
- It is better to have 2 pairs of compression tights, because they need to be washed every day - this is necessary to get rid of the smallest spots, dust, skin particles, as it can damage the fibers of clothing faster than detergent.
- It should be washed only by hand with baby soap, as it cannot be washed in the washing machine. The water temperature during washing should not be higher than 40 C, and also impossible to iron and bleach clothes.
- Any rinsing aids and conditioners have a damaging effect on the structure, therefore, they should also not be used for washing.
- Dry the clothes in a flattened form on a horizontal surface, never squeezing them, but just press gently with a towel. Do not dry knitwear on batteries, in a conventional dryer in an upright position, or in open sunlight or with a hair dryer.
- You should also keep silicone strips on socks, they quickly lose their fixing properties after contact with water, try not to wet them during washing, but wipe with an alcohol napkin.