Compression Therapy

This Fall, Sigvaris releases a new line of stylish Support Hosiery for women. Known as “jewel”, this brand new line of knee-highs are for the business-savvy and fashion conscious woman.

Support hosiery provides instant relief for those who stand or walk all day; being prone to tired, achy legs or at a higher risk for blood clots and varicose veins.

But graduated compression socks can be functional and stylish – and Sigvaris’s new line of knee-high hosiery provides both. With an elegant diamond pattern in dark navy, mocha, and black, these stockings are perfect for the active businesswoman, teacher, and mother with an eye for style.

Compression garments are clinically proven to help with tired, aching legs, and help prevent issues with varicose veins or blood clots later in life. They’ve been found to support good circulation and health for the frequent travelers (prevention of blood clots and DVT from the little-known “economy class syndrome”) and with expectant mothers (which can increase the likelihood of varicose veins).

Released just in time for the Fall school season for busy school teachers, the Jewel series Sigvaris compression stockings provide a comfortable and safe 15-20mmHg compression and an ultra-soft wear with double-covered yarns.

Nothing sounds less fashionable than the long, 12 syllable phrase “Graduated Compression Therapy Stocking”, or the lesser-syllable buy equally arduous “Medical Therapy Stocking” for that matter. Most compression stockings are first designed with comfort in mind, but fortunately, thanks to innovative manufacturing and design, you do not have tosacrifice style when donning your own pair of compression stockings.

Manufacturers of compression therapy products such as Jobst and Sigvaris have many series of stockings and socks available for all interests, combining style and color with therapy that cane be worn casually, professionally, or socially.

Here is a glance at Sigvaris’ line of Compression Therapy products and how they have combined style with comfort and graduated compression therapy:

Casual Wear for Men and Women

146/186 Casual Cotton Series – Modern casual design with 5 colors of graduated compression for style. These socks are rather informal as far as fashion is concerned and come in 15-20mmHg compression.

Sheer Hosiery for Women

120 Sheer Fashion Series – Fits and looks like fashion hosiery in a spectrum of 9 colors, these jersey-knit stockings provide calf-high or thigh-high graduated compression at a15-20mmHg level.

770 Truly Transparent – Attractive stockings designed for comfortable fit for close-fitting garments with the sheer look of hosiery and a lace top. They come in Navy, Black, Suntan, Natural, and Black Mist colors. These stockings come in compression levels from 20-30mmHg to 30-40mmHg.

780 Eversheer Hosiery – Close-knit, soft transparent hosiery with lace-top that breathes easily and fits comfortably against the skin. Eversheer stockings have one of the highest ratings in the industry for Transparency Rate compared to the sheerness of competitor’s stockings. The Eversheer series comes in 20-30mmHg compression.

Dress Socks / Ribbed Socks for Men and Women

145/185 Classic Dress Fashion – Socks are not at the top of the list for fashionable clothing, but socks are also never overlooked. Sigvaris offers 5 colors for women and 6 colors for men’s dress socks, including another series of contemporary ribbed styles for men.

180 Classic Ribbed Series (for Men) – A nylon and spandex graduated compression sock with a contemporary and more formal ribbed design, these socks look and feel good for the office or around town. They come in 6 fashionable colors: White, Navy, Brown, Charcoal, Khaki, and Black and offer a solid 15-20mmHg of compression.

Athletic Socks for Men and Women

144/184 Athletic Recovery Series – Athletic Footwear isn’t really considered “fashionable” so much as “functional”, but when it comes to style, the biggest concern with athletic wear is odor control. Athletic therapy socks from Sigvaris feature latex-free yarns and Freshguard treatments to eliminating most foot odors and allow the feet to breathe, so wherever you’re at, your socks and feet will stay relatively odor-free. Athletic recovery socks come in black and white and a 15-20mmHg compression level.

The 7th DVT Awareness Month introduces DVT – Awareness in Motion from the Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis, an educational program teaching simple and effective movements to help prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis.

DVT can put one at risk for Pulmonary Embolism and another of serious health problems that could even be fatal. There are severe risks, but simple movements can help reduce or eliminate these concerns.

Mary Ann Wilson who hosts “Sit and Be Fit” on PBS will present this program, demonstrating movements that provide healthy blood circulation for preventative care of DVT. The program will have an emphasis on scenarios or conditions for some patients or individuals who may have restricted mobility – such as hospital beds, at work, rehab centers, or while traveling.

DVT-related complications take more lives each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined in the United States. Considering the 2 million Americans annually who are experiencing the affects of DVT, and the 300,000 that die each year from Pulmonary Embolism (which could have been prevented), this kind of education is the best opportunity to lessen the hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of complications caused by this common but rarely discussed condition.

From the article:

“The goal of DVT Awareness In Motion is to use movement as a way to continue to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of DVT, to help assess personal risk of developing a DVT and to encourage dialogue with a healthcare professional,” explained Melanie Bloom, National Patient Spokesperson for the Coalition, whose husband, NBC correspondent David Bloom, died seven years ago from DVT-related complications while covering the war in Iraq. “I encourage everyone to participate in the program and download information from the Coalition’s Web site, to learn more about the important role of movement in helping to reduce your risk.”

“When the muscles of the legs are inactive, blood can collect in the lower extremities, increasing the risk for developing a DVT. However, when the muscles of the legs are active, they help improve circulation by pushing the blood back to the heart,” explained Dr. Geno Merli, Coalition to Prevent DVT Steering Committee member and Chief Medical Officer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia. “Although certain individuals may be at an increased risk for developing DVT, it can occur in almost anyone. So, it’s important to maintain regular mobility to sustain proper blood circulation.”

So how do you prevent DVT? This educational resource explains how low-impact movements can help prevent DVT by encouraging circulation, avoiding smoking, and staying hydrated all help. Furthermore, for more complications, compression therapy stockings to encourage proper circulation or anti-coagulants used to help prevent clotting also help.

If you want to know more, see the new educational resource for DVT, PreventDVT.org, sponsored by Sanofi-Aventis.

Did you know that over 2 million people are diagnosed annually with Deep Vein Thrombosis? Did you know the more serious complication it can cause, pulmonary embolism (PE), claims 300,000 lives annually? In the United States, this is more than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

These staggering numbers have prompted Dr. Andrew Jones and Dr. Ed Boyle of the Inovia Vein Specialty Center collaborating with the efforts of Sigvaris Corporation to co-author a patient guide to help educate individuals with the facts when they are diagnosed with DVT.

DVT is the formation of blood clots in a deep vein. It can generally be caused by decreased blood flow rate in the legs, damaged vein walls, or increased chances for blood clots in some individuals. These commonly affect legs, but can also affect arms. They are often occuring without symptoms but can cause engorged veins, swelling, or pain in the leg.

Pulmonary Embolism is when the clot dislodges itself from the vein and travels to the lungs, which can be fatal. DVT can also cause edema if its not treated.

There are many possible treatment options, but you should always consult a doctor about the best treatment options – anticoagulation is a common treatment and compression stockings are often suggested.

If you’re experiencing DVT, compression therapy stockings may help, but you should only wear compression stockings if recommended by your physician.

Most patients are not aware of this potentially fatal condition, its treatment options, or the ongoing health problems it can cause. Finding out that you have a condition that can potentially prove to be fatal without treatment is not pleasant news; in fact, for most, such news can be terrifying.

These guides are now being distributed across North America to increase awareness for these new diagnosed patients of DVT or PE. Hopefully these guides will lead to more educated and informed decision-making to treat Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism.

What are varicose veins and where do they come from?

Anyone can get them – the unsightly, bulging veins in the leg that jut out like a winding road.  Varicose veins are “engorged” veins, swollen and larger because of blood circulating through the leg gathers part of the vein, increasing its size and making it more difficult for that vein to pump blood upward back through the body.

The vales on the vein become deformed, which make it less likely to pump blood.  The pressure combined with this deformation of the vein’s valve engorges the vein.  Enough engorgement creates a “pocket” in the vein that sticks through the skin. This image gives you a visual representation:

Spider veins are smaller versions of Varicose veins, differing in that they are typically close to the surface of the skin.

Varicose veins for most people are cosmetic issue, but they can lead to blood clots and ulcers.  They can be hereditary and caused by a number of health conditions.  You should see your doctor about varicose veins and possible treatment options.

The U.S. National Institutes of Heath reports that crossing your legs for extended periods of time can cause Varicose Veins.  While this is true, for most people, once they experiencing swelling or aching in the legs they’re discouraging them from sitting in that position any longer before damage is done.

While there is no “cure” for varicose veins, there are many ways to treat them.  Discuss options with your doctor.

Generally varicose veins are reabsorbed and corrected with treatment, but they can lead to blood clots or ulcers/sores that form around the ankles or below the knee.

When varicose veins become too engorged, the blood will flow downward (towards the feet) instead of upward as the vein is intended to do.  This downward push of blood adds pressure to smaller veins, creating a high pressure environment on veins that are typically low pressure.

This added pressure can open up these small veins on the skin and push outwards towards the skin, creating a skin condition called stasis dermatitis.  Stasis dermatitis can cause pains, swelling, aches, and restless legs at night.  Eventually, painful ulcers, swelling, and soreness can form on the legs.

A doctor can do an ultrasound examination to check veins and be sure there are not more vein abnormalities in the leg.  They will search for the areas where veins have become malformed and if there is any blockage of blood flow affecting circulation.

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Mentioned in a previous post about donning and removing compression therapy stockings, there are some tools for donning/removing stockings you can use to make the experience easier and safer.
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Care and consideration when donning your stockings are key to the effectiveness and maintenance of your compression stockings.  Improper donning and removal can have a negative impact on your health and cause unnecessary skin irritation.  These problems are easily avoiding with good, practical steps.

Here are some tips for putting on your stockings:
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Compression therapy stockings get costly if you’re not maintaining them properly and are frequently replacing them because of holes, runs, tears, or loss of compression.  Good compression therapy stockings will last 3-6 months, depending on the brand and wear and tear.

A few simple cleaning steps dramatically increase the life if your stockings.  Here’s how to care for your stockings, socks, and hosiery to get the most use.
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There are so many types of compression therapy legwear it’s impossible to keep track.  Choosing the correct pair is important not only because it’s a relatively expensive purchase compared to typical socks/stockings/hosiery, but also because choosing the wrong kind can either result in no performance or negative performance.

If you break it down to the features and make your selection, you’ll come to find the perfect of compression therapy stockings.  Here is a brief overview of some of the choices you make when choosing compression stockings, socks, or hosiery:
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