To maintain physiologically correct pressure in the lower extremities, in the complex therapy and prevention of varicose veins, today compression stockings are widely used.
In the medical literature, such special underwear is also called medical knitwear, anti-varicose underwear, compression underwear or medical compression knitwear.
These are knitwear that are recommended by phlebologists as a treatment and prevention of various problems of the blood vessels of the legs. Compression underwear is used mainly for varicose veins, thrombosis, epithelializing trophic ulcers, thrombophlebitis, lymphedema.
- The therapeutic effect of compression underwear is due to the effect of maintaining, compressing the varicose vein, which contributes to the redistribution of blood flow from altered, varicose veins to healthy ones.
- Improves tissue nutrition, improves blood circulation
- Most importantly, such a leotard, when used properly and properly sized, reduces the risk of blood clots.
- And what is also important, in the absence of contraindications to compression underwear for its use, there are no side effects, it is a safe and simple method to prevent varicose veins, keeping the veins in a natural, physiological state.
The therapeutic effect of compression stockings for varicose veins?
Earlier, before the large-scale production of high-quality medical underwear, elastic bandages were widely used, the use of which has a number of disadvantages:
- first, they must be applied very correctly each time, which is not always obtained and takes a long time
- second, the appearance of the bandages does not allow them to be worn, for example, to work
- thirdly, the low price for them turns out to be deceptive, as the bandages deteriorate very quickly, which negates all savings.
What is the effect of using a medical medical leotard? When varicose veins are compressed, compression garments for varicose veins accelerate blood flow through the deep veins, thus eliminating venous congestion. In addition, the high-quality modern compression jersey provides a gradual, ie gradual reduction in pressure from the lower leg to the thigh or from the arm to the shoulder.
For example, in the lower leg, the pressure created by compression stockings or tights is a maximum of 100%, and in the upper thigh is 40%. This is the most appropriate and physiologically determined change in pressure, which has a therapeutic effect. This way of distributing the pressure on the veins stimulates and normalizes the ascending blood flow due to:
- improvement and normalization of the valve apparatus
- reduction of the dilated lumen of the peripheral, especially the subcutaneous veins of the thighs and calves
- increase the effect of the muscle pump - when the muscles contract from exercise, the blood is pushed up.
However, it should be remembered that treatment with compression underwear for varicose veins does not eliminate the root causes of venous insufficiency and is used before radical, surgical treatment. This leotard mimics the situation - that varicose veins are sealed or removed.
In addition, non-surgical conservative treatment of foot diseases should be comprehensive. The maximum effect can be achieved if you use creams, ointments recommended by your doctor, lead a healthy lifestyle, wear compression stockings or tights every day, and also use folk remedies to treat varicose veins.
Contraindications to the use of compression stockings
As with any treatment, any remedy or drug has a number of contraindications and medical medical leotard is no exception. Some people should definitely not use compression clothing, others should use it 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 in atherosclerosis, obliterating thromboangiitis, endoarteritis, orthoarteritis. In such chronic diseases of the arteries of the legs, leading to a decrease in the lumen of the vessels and systolic blood pressure below 80 mm. rt. Art. it is absolutely impossible to reduce the pressure in the lower extremities with the help of a medical leotard.
- Medical tights should be used with caution by people with overly sensitive skin.
- The use of compression underwear is not recommended for inflammatory skin diseases, allergic skin reactions, various dermatitis, bedsores, open wounds, acute thrombophlebitis and eczema.
- Diabetes mellitus is a relative contraindication, because in case of damage to the vessels of the legs due to diabetes, such underwear should also not be used.
- In septic phlebitis and severe heart and lung failure, when circulatory disorders occur at rest, compression stockings should also not be used.
Many people are afraid to start wearing compression underwear due to the fact that it is believed that knitwear provokes the development of atrophy of the muscular layer of the vein walls and when their use is stopped, the opposite negative effect can occur - when the venous wall can not. withstands blood pressure in the lumen of the vessel. Therefore, due to atrophy of the vein walls, existing varicose veins will progress even more.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to conduct clinical trials on any vein subjected to compression, but phlebologists believe that this opinion is wrong because:
- The patient cannot wear round-the-clock compression garments
- In compressed veins, blood flow decreases, not stops completely.
- Muscle wall atrophy most often occurs with a genetic predisposition and a local specific inflammatory process with venous stasis and vein filling. And all this is reduced when using a leotard.
- This can only happen according to the initial feelings of the patients when stopping the use of underwear. In this case, for some time there is a temporary deterioration of the condition and well-being, which is explained not by atrophy and progression of varicose veins, but by a temporary decrease in the tone of the venous wall.
- Patient feedback and feelings at the end of the use of compression underwear with varicose veins - for most it is difficult to get used to start walking after using compression stockings. Many claim that when using a medical product, the legs become as if light and many no longer want to give up their use.
How to choose compression clothing
Medical compression underwear, tights are divided into: hospital, which are used only in hospitals, prophylactic and therapeutic. We will look in detail at the compression classes of medical anti-varicose compression stockings, how to choose compression underwear, how to wear and how to care for it.
The most important thing is to buy compression stockings, tights, pants exclusively in specialized, orthopedic salons or retailers of famous brands. In them, trained staff knows exactly how to choose the size of the underwear, as the wrong size can make the treatment absolutely ineffective. In a special shop, the seller will measure the legs in 4 places and will choose the size of the pantyhose or tights according to a special table.
There are 4 degrees of compression:
- 18-21 mm. rt. Art. Class 1 compression is a prophylactic compression that can and even should be worn constantly by people: prone to varicose veins, pregnant women, people with initial signs of varicose veins, when the veins under the skin stand out strongly, if there is pain in the legs after prolongedsitting or standing, if the spider veins are pronounced and at the end of the day there is swelling in the feet and ankles, healthy people whose lifestyle and work force them to sit or stand for a long time - to office workers, drivers, hairdressers, sellers.
- 23 - 32 mm. rt. Art. Compression class 2 is the best, 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 more 4th class of compression - used very rarely, with lymphedema.
Those who choose knitwear against varicose veins for the first time should not immediately buy expensive underwear of the 2nd degree of compression, it is possible that your vascular system will not last. When walking for a while with cheap underwear, get used to it, if you feel comfortable in it, then you can get better and more expensive compression underwear.
For prevention, of course, it is worth using only underwear of the 1st class of compression and already with the development of varicose veins, the class of compression is determined by a phlebologist. Compression underwear cannot cure varicose veins, as the reasons for its appearance are very deep and the external impact can only be stopped, not to allow it to develop further, ie compression stockings for varicose veins are designed to prevent the appearance ofnew enlarged gums. In the summer, of course, it is impossible to wear knitwear, so in the warm season you have to take oral medications or use other treatments.
You should also know that each compression underwear maintains compression for no more than 5-7 months.
Opinions of some women about the quality of compensatory underwear from different manufacturers show that expensive models are not always better than budget ones. Bed linen, made in Germany, is of good quality, the prices for which are quite reasonable.
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 significant and strict is the European standard RAL-GZ-387. In order for a manufacturer to use the logo of this standard, it must pass strict certification in Germany or Switzerland. If the underwear has such a certificate, it means that it is really high quality, creates a distributed pressure of 40-70-100% and is therapeutic, you can learn about this standard from the packaging and label of the product.
It is worth choosing the manufacturer very carefully, because there are many counterfeits in our market, so it is better to buy compression tights or compression tights or in dealer stores or in specialty stores, where specialists will choose the right model according to your measurements. .
As such knitwear must be worn every day, it must be hypoallergenic; to determine this, the purchased product must bear the mark of the European environmental safety standard Oeko-Tex Standard 10.
Are there any peculiarities in wearing compression socks, tights, golf?
You should be aware that even the second class of compression stockings, which is considered the most common, is sometimes "out of force" for the patient:
- This often happens due to the inconvenience and difficulty in putting on the underwear of the feet. The peculiarity of such a leotard is that it can not be worn as children's tights, gathering in an accordion and then pulled up. Both tights and tights should be worn gradually, spreading over the feet. If a person has a large belly and tying lace on the boot is already a problem, then it will also be difficult to wear underwear.
- For easier dressing, many use special devices available in the same salons. And also gloves to wear, they can be both household and medical, as expensive underwear can be ruined by manicure and underwear will slide better if your hands are in gloves.
- Naturally, toenails should be trimmed, sanded, there should be no calluses, roughness, otherwise the underwear will crack quickly or there will be a lot of puffs.
- It is also important to keep your feet dry, as well as underwear, to wear compression stockings in the morning when your feet are not swollen and rested.
- It is especially difficult to wear compression class 3 products - it is a lot of work and if the patient trusts his phlebologist and is sure that he needs such treatment, then you have to be patient, otherwise you should not start treatment from thisclass. It is usually recommended to wear class 3 and 4 compression using a special special device.
How to take care of compression clothing?
- It is best to have 2 pairs of compression tights, as it needs to be washed every day - this is necessary to get rid of the smallest stains, dust, skin particles, as they can damage the fibers of the laundry. faster than detergents.
- It should only be washed by hand with baby soap, as it cannot be washed in washing machines. The temperature of the water during washing should not be higher than 40 C, and it is also impossible to iron and bleach the laundry.
- Each rinse aid and conditioner have a destructive effect on the structure, therefore they should also not be used for washing.
- Dry the laundry in a flattened form on a horizontal surface, in no case do not squeeze it, just gently press it into a towel. Do not dry knitwear on a battery, in a conventional dryer in an upright position, or in the open sun or with a hair dryer.
- You should also take care of the silicone straps on the socks, they quickly lose their fixing properties after contact with water, try not to wet them when washing, but wipe them with an alcohol wipe.