Compression stockings are designed to help blood circulate in your legs and help prevent fluid from pooling in them. They are used to help prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis, venous skin ulcers and varicose veins. Compression stockings are tight at the feet with a gradually looser fit on the leg and should fit comfortably. They cover the leg from the arch of your foot to just below or above the knee and are also available as panty hose or trouser socks. You can purchase them from the pharmacy at any Carmichael’s retail location if you have a doctor’s prescription. Although some are available over the counter without a prescription, it’s encouraged to use the kind that your doctor recommends and that works best for you.
How do you use compression stockings?
Compression stockings work best if they are part of your daily routine. Wear them every day, unless you are bathing or sleeping. Plan on replacing your stockings every four to six months. Hand wash new stockings after you purchase them. Buy a second pair if you can afford it, so you’ll have a clean pair to wear while you wash the other. Here are a few tips from webmd.com about how to put your compression stockings on:
- Put a dressing on any open wound before putting on the compression stockings.
- Keep your stockings by your bed, so you can put them on when you first get up.
- Do it early in the morning, when you have the least swelling in your legs.
- Put on your stockings while sitting in a chair with a back.
- Hold the top of the stocking with one hand. Then with your other hand, reach inside the stocking and push your arm all the way in until you reach the end and can grab the toe.
- When you have a firm grip on the toe, pull your hand back up through the stocking, turning it inside out, but leaving the tips of your fingers in the toe of the stocking.
- Put your toes into the toe of the stocking, and gently roll and slide it back over your heel. Then use your fingertips or palms to slowly roll and slide the stocking all the way up your leg.
- Be careful not to grab and pull at the top of the stocking, because that can cause it to rip or tear.