Compression therapy is a simple tactic for helping circulation, especially in your legs and feet. In this type of therapy, you wear compression socks or hose, which look like normal socks but are woven to be tighter and have elastic that lets them hug the contours of your legs, thus providing compression. It’s often a front-line treatment for swelling/edema, tired legs, and other venous-insufficiency symptoms. However, because those symptoms can also be symptoms of more advanced issues, like varicose veins, you want to be sure that you’re choosing the right treatment. Let our team help.
Tired legs, ankle edema, and pain can all be signs of conditions like varicose veins, and if you have varicose veins, you likely don’t want to mess around; you want something that will make them go away. Compression therapy can be a helpful treatment when the varicose veins are less severe, or when you are having some of the associated symptoms. The stockings help make your blood circulate faster, and they prevent retained water from pooling at your feet and ankles so that everything moves back up into the rest of your body.
Compression therapy is also often the first treatment a vein expert will want you to use before moving on to other procedures like sclerotherapy, assuming you have no contraindicating conditions like severe peripheral neuropathy. Because the treatment is so easy to apply, and the compression garments are usually affordable, compression is an appropriate first treatment.
But when is it time to move on? If your symptoms don’t go away with compression after giving it a few days to start working, then you need to discuss additional treatments. There is also the issue of how long you’d need to wear the garments; if it looks like you’d need to wear them for the rest of your life, then you should look at other treatments. Compression should be a temporary treatment.
At Pacific Vein Care in McHenry, IL, we offer compression therapy with high-quality garments. Our specialists will help you monitor your condition and discuss further treatments like sclerotherapy if needed. Contact us today to book an appointment and learn more!
