Yes, they’re what you expect from an old lady with varicose veins. No, I’m not old–and I don’t have varicose veins. But I have got a couple sets of compressions stockings: one pair of hose, one pair of knee highs.
And they’re absolute lifesavers.
For those who aren’t familiar with compression stockings, allow me to educate you. Compression stockings are like ultra-control-top panty-hose, except that the “ultra control” is in the ankle and leg portion of the hose. The pressure that the hose exert on your legs prevents blood pooling by enhancing venous blood return.
The end result? Legs and feet that don’t ache after being on them all day. As a food service manager, clinical dietetics intern, and now a food labs teaching assistant who has to spend a considerable amount of time on my feet–I LOVE my compression stockings!
When I’m not wearing my hose, my legs and feet hurt and the last thing I want to do after work is take a walk, cook a meal, or clean my house. On the other hand, when I wear my compression hose, I often still have the energy to get something productive done after work. And that WORKS FOR ME!
Compression stockings (also known as “support hose”) can be found at your local pharmacy or online. They’re a bit pricey–$20 per pair for mild compression (8-15 mm Hg)–but in my mind, they’re definitely worth it. Compression stockings should last longer than your regular hose because they’re more closely knit and therefore more resistant to running. I can rarely wear regular hose more than once, but I’ve worn my current pair of compression hose at least 20 times and still haven’t had a run.
Check out more “Works for Me Wednesday” posts at We are THAT Family.
I wear the same thing! I am a nurse and suffered through my first year of nursing in excruciating pain. My legs were hurt so bad and were so heavy at the end of the day I could hardly walk into my house. Now I always wear compression socks (knee high) every time I work. I am pretty young(31) but I couldn’t work without them!
I loved compression stockings when I was pregnant! My doctor arranged for me to get thigh-high ones through the mail. I had LOW blood pressure (unusual in pregnancy, but I’ve talked with other women who had it) and I was tired all the time and even fainting. With my stockings, I felt a lot more energetic! I continued to wear them occasionally for a couple years afterward; they do lose their elasticity after a while and stop staying up.