Caring for your legs - Clothing and Support Garments

Dr Paul Varcoe : Wednesday, March 23, 2011

CLOTHING AND SUPPORT GARMENTS

If you have varicose veins in your legs, try to be dressed comfortably — wear lose clothing avoiding any type of restrictive clothing on the waist or legs under garments that hinder circulation.

Swap your your high heels for low heeled shoes. Low-heeled shoes work calf muscles!

Invest in support garments such as elastic socks, stockings or pantyhose for your legs. These types of support garments compress leg veins and aid circulation which can bring relief to aching legs. There are a wide range of support garments in pharmacies and hosiery sections in department stores.

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Feedback & Questions

Megan Bennett commented on 03-Apr-2011 01:30 PM

Is there a specific brand of support stockings that work best with varicose veins?

Dr Paul Varcoe commented on 03-Apr-2011 01:52 PM

All of the reputable brands (Jobst, Venosan, Medi etc.) all work well. What is more important than brand is the amount of compression (classified by Class) and whether the stocking is graduated. The weakest Class is Class 1 and these are commonly worn for protection against DVT on plane flights and for relief of aching varicose veins. You will get much better protection against DVT and relief from aching if you use a Class 2 stocking which is also the type commonly worn after sclerotherapy or laser treatment. These higher level stockings are unfortunately a bit more challenging to get on and off.

Megan commented on 05-Apr-2011 08:28 PM

Thanks for answering my question about stockings. I am also wondering about the everyday type of stocking - for example Sheer Relief are a department style brand of stocking for about $7-$8 pair. Are these worthwhile wearing at all or a waste of time?

Dr Paul Varcoe commented on 05-Apr-2011 09:01 PM

Megan it is hard to get detailed information about Sheer Relief but their advertising says they are graduated which is good. The degree of compression is hard to determine as they use a scale that is not a medical one but I suspect they are a Class 1 stocking (or maybe less). No stocking has been shown to halt the progression of vein disease (even the medical ones) but if these stocking give you some relief from aching (and at their cost it's a cheap experiment) then they have some use. Good luck!

Larisa commented on 28-Apr-2011 03:54 PM

Varicose veins seem to be a common thing among women in my family. I don't have varicose veins myself (I am only 18) but I am wondering if wearing these support stockings or elastic socks would help prevent the development of varicose veins?

Dr Paul Varcoe commented on 28-Apr-2011 06:02 PM

There is no scientific study yet done that proves that the wearing of stockings or elastic socks is helpful in preventing varicose veins.

Keira commented on 23-Jun-2011 09:35 AM

I am on 25 and have had varicose veins and the related aching for a few years now. In the past they were on the inside of my upper calf, but I am noticing the veins on my thigh are becoming more noticeable and itchy (it looks like blue stains on my thighs).
Would full length medical stockings help slow down the progression of the bulging veins on my thighs?

Dr Paul Varcoe commented on 24-Jun-2011 04:43 PM

There is no study that I am aware of that demonstrates the wearing of stockings will slow down the progression of your type of leg veins. Intuitively I would think there would be some benefit for your situation but suspect if there is it will be very small
when compared to genetic factors.

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