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What are the best compression stockings?
I didn’t wear the compression stockings to begin with.
I finally started wearing them a few years ago, and they actually help.
Let’s talk about the best compression stockings to get you started.
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Talking about compression stockings isn’t one of my favorite topics; but they will help, and are worth investing in.
Worth investing time and research to figure out, and worth investing in determination and tenacity to wear them until they become normal;
and you will eventually get used to wearing them, so don’t worry.
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The best compression stockings are the ones you will wear.
That may mean knee high stockings and compression leggings, or that might mean pantyhose compression stockings and jeans. You want medium compression, so 15-20mmhg, but make sure to verify that with your doctor. You want the toeless and softer kind, that are sheer.
Let’s talk about what I’ve learned about compression stockings having had POTS syndrome for the past 11+ years.
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What are the options for compression stockings
There are lengths, opacity, toes, brands, and strengths.
Lengths are knee high, thigh high, and panty hose.
The knee high work best with something like leggings, and are similar to knee high socks.
The thigh high kind comes between your knee and hip, and uses a grippy tape like silicone to keep them up. This can be uncomfortable, and they can fall down if they aren’t clean.
The pantyhose kind is like high waisted leggings. It usually comes up to your belly button, and won’t fall down on you like the thigh high kind. You need to make sure that they are a large enough size, or it will be hard to get them on and off every time you go to the bathroom. You don’t have that problem with the other two.
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Opacity is how see-through the stockings are.
Opaque stockings are warm, thick, and less flexible.
Sheer stockings can be much easier to damage with fingernails, and are mostly see though, so they look more like legs and less like a sock.
In between are sheer ease, which I get from Therafirm, and are softer like a sock, but still sheer, and less prone to having a fingernail go through them than thinner stockings. But you still have to be careful.
Sheer ease won’t overheat you, I’ve worn them to the beach no problem.
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Toes on stockings are awful, you want to get the toeless kind. The part that normally covers your toes like socks do, is cut off and your toes aren’t stifled in your stockings anymore.
Stockings with toes are particularly bad for your toes because they are compression, they will pull on your toes and not let them lay flat, which will make your toes and foot hurt in the long run.
The other benefit of toeless stockings is you can walk on tip toes through a spill of water, instead of getting soaked stockings, and having to change them, or live with wet stockings.
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Brands I tried early on were Jobst and Therafirm. I didn’t try many different brands because they are expensive.
If you are deciding between two brands, get the same type in both brands, and wear them each to figure out which brand you should buy more from.
It’s all about what you will wear consistently, which you find more comfortable, because both are good medical compression.
I ended up with Therafirm because they were less annoying to me early on.
They get more comfortable as you wear them, and they’re not so new.
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Strengths of medical compression are 10-15mmhg, 15-20mmhg, 20-30mmhg, and 30-40mmhg. Higher isn’t better, it’s about what works for you and your health.
You also want to make sure you get graduated compression, so it promotes blood flow instead of cutting off circulation to your foot. Graduated compression means it’s higher compression at the bottom, and less as it goes up your leg, and this is especially important for POTS; you need circulation.
Anything that is 8-12mmhg isn’t going to help you much or be worth it, but if you won’t wear anything else, it’s better than wearing nothing.
Make sure you pay attention to what your doctor told you to get, it was probably 15-20mmhg.
I had a pair of pretty pink short, knee high stockings that were 10-15mmhg, and they weren’t as helpful. I stopped wearing them in favor of the 15-20mmhg knee high in nude. It wasn’t worth putting them on if they weren’t high enough compression.
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What makes more comfortable compression stockings?
To make compression stockings more comfortable, stretch out the part around the toes, wear the toeless kind, break them in, wear them til they get more comfortable.
How do I break in new compression stockings to make them comfortable?
Compression stockings are the least comfortable when they are brand new. You’ll want to break them in to make them more comfortable.
The best way to do this is after you shower in the evening, put on the new stockings, and only wear them for a few hours in the evening. Then wash them and wear them like normal, first thing in the morning and all day.
They should get more comfortable, the more you wash and wear them.
It’s especially important that you wash them before wearing them when they are new, because they’re usually itchy, and the thigh high kind’s silicone thing will hurt your leg until they are washed for the first time.
I think wearing a new pair in rotation with a couple of others will break them in to be more comfortable in about 3 weeks to a month.
At that point I’m not paying attention to who is new anymore.
And just like wearing socks and shoes, you’ll get used to them, and they’ll go away, and you don’t pay attention to them anymore.
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What do compression stockings help you with?
You won’t be able to stand forever with POTS and compression stockings if you couldn’t before the compression stockings, I’m sorry to tell you.
But the compression stockings will help keep the blood from pooling in your feet, help the blood get back to your head after you’ve been standing, and make it possible for you to sit somewhere with your feet down.
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What do I do, now that I know I need compression stockings?
Start with one knee high pair, 15-20mmhg, sheer ease, from Therafirm, and one pantyhose kind.
Then, once you’ve tried them on, get another of one of the kinds you’ll wear, and wear them.
Put stockings on first thing in the morning, sitting in bed, then get up and wear them all day.
Throw them in the washer in a lingerie bag, and put on a clean pair after you shower. Do this for a month. Then get another couple of pairs, or try a single pair of a different kind if this isn’t working for you.
I recommend if you don’t think you’ll wear the pantyhose kind, starting with the knee high kind, 2 pairs (one clean and one dirty), and then get used to wearing them for a month.
Then get a pair or two of the pantyhose kind, they’re especially helpful if you’ve got a long day ahead of you, but you know you best.
If you’ll wear the pantyhose kind, that’s probably best for you.
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I hope this helps!
Megan 🙂
Ps. I don’t have an affiliate link for stockings, but have been using compressionsale.com instead of therafirm’s website, and it saves soo much money. Look for the 10% sales they often have as a banner at the top.
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If you liked this, you might like How I Began Watercolor with Wrist Challenges.
Megan Eileen 