Compression Therapy

SIGVARIS, a popular brand of compression socks, stockings, and leggings has become increasingly involved in athletics and vascular therapy – two of the biggest clinical proven benefits of compression garments.

In the athletic community, SIGVARIS has sponsored David O’Meara in his goal of running 1 mile on each continent in a total time of under 30 minutes. O’Meara succeeded in his goal this month with a completion time of 29 minutes, 25 seconds, proclaiming the benefits of SIGVARIS Athletic Recovery Socks in his venture.

O’Meara is an inspiration to runners and athletes worldwide, teaching others online ways to avoid injury, recover faster and develop strength that can be used in competitive sports.

From the Press Release:

“I have been wearing compression socks for better athletic performance and improved recovery over the last couple of years. The Active Therapy socks from SIGVARIS are absolutely amazing! The socks have helped me increase my running speed and decrease my recovery time. From the airplane to the race, SIGVARIS was an essential piece of equipment for me to succeed in my race around the world,” O’Meara says.

Also in the news, SIGVARIS has joined the National Corporate Round Table for the Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF) to help provide & distribute public awareness and educational programs related to venous disease.

SIGVARIS’s compression leggings are clinically proven to help alleviate or reduce the risks of venous conditions like varicose veins, lymphedema, Deep Vein Thrombosis, and certain types of ulcers.

The VDF’s mission of reducing the mortality and morbidity of vascular diseases before they start is aligned with SIGVARIS’s products, making them an influential voice for venous disease, a condition that affects over 54 million Americans.

Related Links:
David O’Meara
Vascular Disease Foundation Website
Sigvaris Website
Buy Sigvaris Stockings

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.

Let’s face it, our ancestors would be confused in the least, or appalled at most, by the culture of air travel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure ancient people would be amazed with the ingenuity of how we travel, but they would also get to see how we voluntarily shuffle ourselves through gates on a strict schedule, clamor into cramped metal chambers, sit inches away from each other, and limit our mobility for hours and hours eating tasteless meals.

My main point is this: human beings are simply not designed to sit in these tight, cramped quarters in economy class air travel on a regular basis. And travel-related Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is one reminder!

But we simply can’t refuse to fly. There are places to be, things to see, people to greet, and jobs to do. Our world is a complex one and cheap travel is in high demand. So, no matter how we feel about air travel, most of us will end up on an airplane at some point, and many of us are on airplanes on a weekly – or even daily – basis.

And the good news is that with a little education and awareness, DVT can be prevented with some easy common sense tips and compression therapy stockings.

What can you do to prevent travel-related DVT, those elusive deep blood clots that affect somewhere around 350,0000 people in the United States each year? Here are some tips:

1) Sit in an aisle seat – This serves you many benefits in air travel, especially for long flights. You have easy access to the aisle where you can get up to use the lavatory, walk around and stretch. A frequent traveler has likely spent hours of flighttime gazing out windows and could tell you in detail what every airport looks like, so unless you really have a preference to look at things while you fly, do your legs a favor and give yourself an aisle seat.

2) Stay Fit – Obesity increases the risk of developing DVT. Extra weight puts pressure on veins, making it more difficult for the blood the flow.

3) Stop Smoking – There are a million reasons to quit smoking, but since smoking affects blood pressure, it can have an effect on blood flow, especially in aging folks sitting for hours in cramped airplanes.

4) Take breaks to stand and stretch – It’s not a bad idea every hour or two to stand up. Sitting dormant in an airplane seat encourages stiffness and stifled blood flow, so every hour or two it’s a good idea to stand up and do a couple simple stretches. There’s not much room, but walking a few paces helps as well to keep the heart ticking and the blood moving.

5) Avoid airplane food – Just kidding. Eat all the pretzels you want. This really has nothing to do with DVT, but I’m glad you’re paying attention.

6) Wear Compression Stockings – JUZO, Sigvaris, and Jobst all provide fashionable compression hosiery, stockings, and socks to suit the needs of travelers – both causal and professional.

The use of compression garments for legs has been clinically proven to help prevent DVT from forming with graduated compression – a special design in manufacturing of compression therapy leggings that starts with high compression at the ankle and decreases up the leg. This keeps the blood moving upward as intended without pooling in the leg (something tight-fitting clothes and socks may do during flights.) A properly sized, medical grade compression garment can help prevent aching and swelling in the legs while preventing DVT.

Visit our sponsor STLMedical.com for good deals on both Sigvaris Compression and JUZO Compression Stockings.

For more information on DVT and DVT Awareness, visit PreventDVT.com.

Sigvaris has been growing in partnerships to spread the word about their hottest new product, the Athletic Recovery Sock.

Athletic Recovery socks are without a doubt the athlete’s product of 2010; I’ve written on the Athletic Recovery Sock before. but here’s an update on the latest two unique partnerships and endorsements:

One Mile Runner David O’Meara – Sigvaris has partnered with David, a well known coach, speaker, book writer and athlete.

David isn’t new to compression therapy socks; in fact he’s been wearing them for a couple years now.  He’s a fan of Sigvaris’s newest sock, which shortens recovery after workouts.

David will also be wearing Sigvaris exclusively during his summer event, “Around the World in Less than 30 Minutes”.

Golf’s Brittany Lincicome - Sigvaris and Brittany have teamed up to bring Athletic Recovery Socks to both professional and recreational golfers.

Brittany became a professional golfer at the age of 19 and has won her first championship in 2006.  She won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2009 and continues to play.

Like others, Brittany was impressed with how compression socks can actually improve athletic performance, helping your legs feel energized and lighter.

94% of golfers surveyed in a trial of Sigvaris during an 18-hole golf round said they would recommend Sigvaris Athletic Recovery socks to their friends and other golfers.

Athletic recovery socks are one of the biggest new products this year for athletes, runners, and sports enthusiasts. They’re worn during and after exercise to reduce muscle soreness and help flush out lactic acid build up in the muscles.

Sigvaris has been pushing their new line of socks heavily in sports such as Golf and Football.

Originally available only in White, now available as of April 1st are the solid black versions of Sigvaris’ athletic recovery socks.

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.

Next year, you’ll likely find Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts sporting one of Sigvaris’ latest product in its new line of Active Therapy compression socks: the Athletic Recovery sock.

Sigvaris struck a deal with the Colts to wear the recovery socks during their 2010 – 2011 season, putting their product to a real test with professional athletes.

From the announcement:

“We are very excited about our partnership with the Indianapolis Colts. Not only will the Colts help us grow the SIGVARIS name in the sport compression market, but SIGVARIS will also have the chance to provide a product which will help professional athletes optimize performance through faster recovery,” said Jason Kern, product manager for SIGVARIS North America.

The Indianapolis Colts finished off the 2009 – 2010 Season playing in the superbowl, and broke the record last season for the most regular season gamse than any other NFL team has ever won. The Colts have also made the playoffs in 9 of the past 10 years.

Compression is useful for active athletes as a post-game and post-practice sock. Graduated compression provides support therapy for athletes by helping flush out lactic acid from he muscles that build-up during exercise. This helps legs recover faster, reducing aching, swelling, or pain.

SIGVARIS has worked out several partnerships including the Road Runner’s Club of America, USProTri, Souther Crescent Cycling Club, and Cross Country Canada.

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.