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Click on the image at left for a complete Jobst patient information guide.

Why wear compression stockings?

Your doctor has recommended or prescribed gradient compression stockings to help your legs. These stockings will help relieve the symptoms of heaviness, fatigue, aching, and swelling you may feel. Gradient compression stockings help slow and may even reverse the progression of chronic venous disease.

Why Wear Gradient Compression Stockings?

Gradient compression stockings help prevent the veins in your legs from becoming overly filled with blood (congested). Veins that are congested with blood make your legs feel heavy. They may ache and fatigue easily. These stockings act to prevent leg swelling by counteracting pressures inside the leg and promoting blood flow back to the heart rather than allowing blood to pool in the legs. Compression squeezes the legs. This can be achieved by special bandaging, gradient compression stockings, or special air pumps. Gradient compression hosiery (often called elastic stockings) are recommended to control leg swelling and leg discomfort and to prevent skin changes.

What is "Gradient?"

Stockings that are made tightest at the ankle and gradually decrease in tightness as they go up the leg are called gradient stockings.

Venous Congestion

When you sit or stand for prolonged periods of time, the blood in the veins of your legs has difficulty returning to your heart because of the effects of gravity. Activity of the muscles of your calf are needed to contract (squeeze) and propel (push) the venous blood up your legs and back to your heart. Damage or disease of the leg veins and lack of calf muscle activity leads to congestion (pooling) of venous blood in your legs.

Extended periods of venous congestion causes the legs to swell. Damaged or diseased leg veins that are congested may be more visible. They may even protrude and look like ropes wrapped around your legs. These distended and twisted veins are called varicose veins. Blood clots can also occur from the continued pooling of venous blood in the legs.

You may already be familiar with or experience symptoms common with venous congestion:

Swollen ankles Calf tightness Heavy or achy feeling in the legs Reddish brown pigmentation spots Brawny coloring of the skin above your ankles Scaly, leathery, or itchy skin on your legs.