You need to wear compression stockings, perhaps your GP has prescribed them or a friend has recommended them to you. When you look online there is a vast range of different compressions and prices. Where do you start?
There are 2 main things to consider:
- How much compression? Compression is measured in millimetres of mercury, or mmHG. The higher number means a higher compression. Compression is always higher at the ankle and decreases up to leg to encourage blood to flow from the feet back towards the heart.
- Medical Support or Medical Compression? At Gardamed we consider support stockings to be over-the-counter while medical compression are certified medical devices manufactured to specific medical standards for specific medical conditions.
| Compression Class ______________________________________ | Compression Level ____________________________________ | Indication _______________________________________ |
|---|---|---|
| Mild Support ______________________________________ | 12-15mmHg __________________________________ | – Tired or heavy legs – Support during pregnancy _____________________________________ |
| Medium Support ______________________________________ | 15-20mmHg ___________________________________ | – Tired or heavy legs – Prevention of DVT during travel – Mild varicose veins – Support during pregnancy _______________________________________ |
| Medium Compression RAL _______________________________________ | 18-21mmHg __________________________________ | – Tired or heavy legs – Prevention of venous disease – Varicose veins with mild oedema – Varicose veins during pregnancy _______________________________________ |
| Firm Compression RAL _______________________________________ | 23-32mmHg ___________________________________ | – Variose veins with oedema – Chronic venous insufficiency – Post sclerotherapy or venous surgery – Post superficial and DVT – Management of healed venous ulcers – Post traumatic oedema – Lymphoedema – Lipoedema ________________________________________ |
| Extra Firm Compression RAL | 34-46mmHg | – Severe chronic venous insufficiency – Severe post traumatic oedema – Treatment of active ulcers – Lymphoedema |
If you need any help in choosing your stockings please do not hesitate to contact our sales team at sales@gardamed.com or telephone 01462411819.
