What Is Compression Therapy?
Compression therapy means using compression socks, stockings, boots, or bandages to apply gentle pressure to the leg. Doctors have prescribed compression therapy for thousands of years, as far back as Hippocrates of ancient Greece. Modern science continues to discover new benefits of compression therapy.
How Does Compression Therapy Work?
Compression therapy applies controlled pressure to a certain part of your body, such as your legs or feet. This pressure squeezes the affected body part and moves blood toward the upper body, from where it’s pumped back to the heart.
Types of Compression Therapy
If you need compression therapy, you have many options to choose from, including:
Compression stockings. These promote blood flow in your legs by applying tight pressure at your ankle, calf, and foot. The stockings loosen as they go up your leg. Wear these during the day and remove them at night.
Compression bandage (ace wrap). These work like compression stockings. They help lower swelling in your legs and heal leg ulcers.
Compression boot/dressing. Wrap this bandage around your lower leg to reduce swelling and heal leg ulcers. It applies pressure when you flex your leg.
Sequential compression device (SCD). These are inflatable sleeves (which means sleeves that can be filled with air) that wrap around your legs. The air pressure increases blood flow to your heart, reduces the fluid and swelling in your legs, and prevents blood clots. SCDs are often used during surgery and may be a good choice if you have health conditions such as diabetes or obesity.
Lymphedema pump. This is a pump you use one hour a day on each leg. Remove compression stockings before using this.
What Are the Benefits of Compression Therapy?
Compression offers many benefits, from easing pain and swelling to treating more serious medical conditions.
Better blood flow
When you are sitting or standing, the veins in your legs must fight gravity to move blood back to your heart. Compression therapy gently squeezes the leg, which helps blood flow faster and keep moving in the right direction.
Preventing and treating varicose veins
In order to push blood back up toward the heart, the veins in your legs have valves that only allow blood to move in one direction. Sometimes, these valves wear out and let the blood pool in the veins. This can lead to varicose veins, which means swollen and twisted veins that can cause pain and a heavy, achy feeling in your legs.
Compression stockings can help lower the discomfort and swelling that varicose veins cause. After varicose vein treatment, compression therapy may help keep you from getting new varicose veins.
Less swelling
Pressure from compression socks can keep fluid from leaking out of small blood vessels in your legs. It can help keep swelling from happening when you must sit or stand still for long periods. For example, some people wear them on long flights or if they stand on their feet a lot at work.
Compression therapy can also help treat swelling. When there is extra fluid in your legs, compression helps your body absorb it.
Swelling in your feet and ankles is also a common side effect of pregnancy. If you are pregnant, check with your doctor about wearing compression tights to reduce your swelling and leg discomfort.
Less dizziness and nausea
Orthostatic hypotension is when your blood pressure drops when you stand up. It can make you feel dizzy (like the room is spinning), lightheaded (like you might faint), or nauseous (like you might throw up).
If you have this problem a lot, your doctor might recommend thigh-high or waist-high compression hose (stockings). Compression therapy can keep blood from pooling in your legs, which is what causes orthostatic hypotension.
One study even found that pregnant women had less morning sickness and dizziness when they wore compression stockings.
Lower risk of blood clots
If you are in the hospital for a long time or have surgery that keeps you off your feet for a while, you are at a higher risk of getting deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This is when you get a blood clot or clots in a deep vein. Deep vein thrombosis can have serious consequences.
Compression therapy makes it less likely that you will get a blood clot while you are in the hospital. You might also need to wear compression stockings when you go home from the hospital and as you get better.
Travelers are also at a greater risk of getting a blood clot because they are seated for long periods. You are three times more likely to have problems with blood clots while flying than at other times. Your risk goes up even higher on longer flights.
Compression socks can lower your risk for blood clots while traveling. They can also reduce swelling and leg discomfort, which are common on long flights.
Healing leg ulcers
Ulcers are open wounds on the skin that can be hard to heal. Leg ulcers can be caused by:
Compression therapy is a very good treatment for leg ulcers. It helps heal ulcers by improving blood flow. During the healing process, compression therapy lowers the symptoms of leg ulcers, such as pain, swelling, and itching.
Up to 97% of people who have had leg ulcers will get another leg ulcer in the future. Compression therapy can help keep you from getting new leg ulcers.
Who Should Use Compression Therapy?
Anyone who has a problem with swelling in any of their limbs should consider compression therapy, says Lawrence Presant, DO, founder and lead phlebologist at Arizona Vein Specialists in Phoenix, Arizona.
If you have a medical condition that causes swelling, such as lymphedema, chronic vein problems, or varicose veins, talk to your doctor about compression therapy.
“Someone who has DVT should probably use compression therapy in combination with anticoagulation (blood thinners) if they have a blood clot,” Presant says. “People who are immobile for long periods, or taking long flights or traveling, should use compression therapy.”
What Are the Risks of Compression Therapy?
If you’re healthy, the risks are low. You may have minor skin irritation, allergic reactions, or discomfort if the garment doesn’t fit properly.
But if you have certain health conditions, use caution with compression therapy, says Maureen McBeth, CLT-LANA, a lymphedema and cancer rehab therapist and senior medical affairs liaison for ImpediMed in Carlsbad, California. “Those with poor circulation, nerve damage, or cognitive impairments, like memory issues, may not be able to feel or respond if the garment is too tight,” she says.
“In people with severely reduced blood flow, compression can actually cut off circulation even more, which can be dangerous and even life-threatening.”
Because of these risks, McBeth says anyone using compression therapy for medical reasons should get properly measured and fitted by a trained professional, such as a certified compression garment fitter. They’ll make sure the garment fits and offers the right level of compression.
When to Talk to a Doctor About Compression Therapy
Ask your doctor about compression therapy if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Swollen ankles, legs, or feet
- Varicose veins
- Leg pain that doesn’t get better
McBeth says if you suddenly notice new or unexplained swelling in your arm, leg, or anywhere else, see your doctor before you try compression therapy. “Swelling that comes out of nowhere could be a sign of something serious, like a blood clot, infection, or heart issue, and using compression without knowing the cause could do more harm than good.”
Takeaways
Compression therapy means using compression socks, stockings, boots, or bandages to apply gentle pressure to your leg, calf, or ankle. This pressure increases blood flow throughout the body and can help ease sore legs, reduce swelling, heal leg ulcers, and lower your risk for blood clots. Compression garments are available over the counter at your local pharmacy. If you have specific medical conditions, such as varicose veins or DVT, talk to your doctor. They can prescribe medical-grade compression garments to address your specific condition.
FAQs About Compression Therapy
What conditions can compression therapy help treat?
Compression therapy is used to treat conditions that cause swelling, such as lymphedema, and chronic vein problems, such as varicose veins. It’s also used to treat leg ulcers and reduce swelling after a surgery or injury or during pregnancy.
How long should I wear compression garments each day?
That depends on the condition you’re treating and how much compression you need. In most cases, you’ll wear compression garments while you’re awake and take them off before bed. If you have a prescription for medical-grade compression garments, ask your doctor how long you should wear them each day.
Can I use compression therapy without a doctor’s prescription?
Yes. Compression garments are available over the counter at your local pharmacy. These can help ease mild cases of swelling, such as from air travel or standing for long periods. If you have arterial disease, talk to your doctor before using compression therapy, as it can cause more problems.
Also, if you notice sudden, unexplained swelling in your arms or legs, don’t use compression therapy — contact your doctor right away. It could be a sign of something more serious, such as DVT.
What’s the difference between medical and over-the-counter compression socks?
Medical-grade compression garments need a prescription. They offer higher compression (at least 20-30 mmHg) than those you buy over the counter. They’re used to treat certain conditions such as varicose veins or lymphedema.
You can buy over-the-counter compression stockings at your local pharmacy. They offer less compression (under 20 mmHg) than medical-grade stockings. They are a good choice if you stand on your feet for long hours and want relief for sore, tired legs.
