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If you have varicose veins, special support stockings may ease some of your symptoms, such as aching legs.

There are two types of support stockings for varicose veins.

* If you have varicose veins in your lower leg, you can wear short stockings that cover your leg from your ankle to your knee.
* If your varicose veins are in your upper leg (along the front of your thigh for instance), you can wear the longer type of stockings. These cover your whole leg. Some have open toes and some have closed toes.

All support stockings for varicose veins are tighter at the ankle than at the top. This means they apply more pressure at the bottom of your leg, which helps to squeeze blood upwards towards your heart.

Here are some tips on using support stockings for varicose veins.

* Support stockings come in different sizes, and some are more elastic than others. Larger, more uncomfortable veins need tighter stockings. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you get the right size and fit.
* It’s best to put the stockings on in the morning before you get out of bed. This is because your varicose veins are least likely to be full of blood and swollen after you’ve been lying down. As soon as you stand up, the blood pools in these veins. This makes it harder for the stockings to keep your veins from bulging.
* The stockings gradually get less elastic the more you wash them, so you’ll need to get new ones every few months.

Some people find that their legs feel better if they wear support stockings and look better when they take them off. However, there is no good-quality research to show that stockings help with symptoms or improve the way your legs look.

Source:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/besttreatments/varicose-veins-things-to-know-about-support-stockings

Ellis H, Taylor P. Elastic stockings. Greenwich Medical Media. 1999; 50-51.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited (”BMJ Group”) 2009

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