If you deal with leg problems due to a vein circulation condition, wearing compression stockings can greatly reduce your symptoms. The most common symptoms of a vein condition are aching, uncomfortable legs, and an overall feeling of fatigue. These symptoms are worse at the end of the day and are the result of inflammation buildup due to stagnant blood flow.
Perhaps you have hesitated to invest in compression stockings because you fear they will be unattractive, difficult to wear, or expensive. Although there is some truth to these concerns, the reality is that wearing compression stockings every day offers several benefits that you cannot get from any other type of treatment for your vein condition. For many people, they are a lifesaver, and they are hooked on them.
Benefits of Compression Stockings
The biggest benefit of wearing compression stockings daily is that leg symptoms and fatigue improve. When people find out they feel better with compression stockings, it is a no-brainer to wear them, and these people wear them consistently. People who travel and do not have vein circulation issues put extra pressure on their legs to decrease stagnant blood flow and help prevent potentially deadly blood clots. When you think of it that way, it is easy to see that wearing these socks could even save your life.
Compression stockings also come with numerous other benefits for people with vein circulation problems, including the following:
- Help to prevent the development of venous skin ulcers
- Improves overall circulation and energy level
- Can improve performance at work
- Improves sleep for those with vein related sleep disturbance
- Provides important support to the veins and improves vein valve function
- Reduces blood pooling or clotting in the legs and lowers the risk of DVT blood clot
- Reduces the leg pain, cramps, swelling, fatigue, and restless legs
Compared to surgery or the long-term use of medication, wearing compression stockings each day is a simple and inexpensive way to deal with the problems caused by your vein condition.
How It Works to Wear Compression Stockings
Compression stockings work by applying pressure to your ankles and legs, helping the stretched-out vein valves to work better.
When the valves are working better, the flow of blood from your legs to your heart returns to normal, and blood no longer pools in your legs. The stagnant blood is the cause of fatigue and leg pain and swelling, so when blood flow is restored, symptoms improve. When you notice an improvement when wearing compression stockings, it’s a pretty solid indicator that a vein treatment will help even more to increase your energy and reduce symptoms.
One of the first things you may notice after you start wearing compression stockings regularly is that you have more energy and feel less tired. That is because the socks reduce the inflammation in your legs responsible for causing fatigue - scientists have even measured this in the bloodstream. You will also notice a decrease in leg symptoms including aching, restless legs, cramps, heaviness, and pain. The benefit can be mild, but for many patients, it is worth wearing the stockings to get some relief.
Keep in mind that the purpose of compression stockings is to help make people feel better by reducing symptoms. They cannot prevent you from developing a vein condition or make it go away. You may even find that your symptoms return immediately when you take your compression stockings off to go to bed at night. This is normal. You can put them on again in the morning after you take your shower.
The Importance of a Proper Fit
Stockings work best when worn all day from first in the morning until sleep at night. It is not normally recommended to wear them while you sleep since the compression can cause damage to the skin nerves resulting in numbness and tingling.
Before you buy your first pair of compression stockings, we recommend that you measure your leg to ensure you get the proper fit. A pharmacy, family member, a friend, or your healthcare provider can do this. The distance around your leg is measured below the knee and at the ankle with a string or tape measure and compared with a sizing chart. In our experience, if you buy or borrow stockings that are too small, it causes a great deal of pain and can lead to skin nerve damage (numbness and tingling). If the borrowed stockings are too big they won’t work very effectively.
Thigh-high, knee-high, and pantyhose styles are the most typical options. A specialty type of pantyhose to treat varicose veins and related conditions in pregnant women is also available. The knee-high type tends to be the easiest to put on and costs less than the other types. Most people get good relief with knee-high stockings. Some benefit from thigh-high if they have painful swelling of veins on their thigh. If you have a question, ask your vein care specialist which is right for you.
