Compression stockings help to improve blood flow in the veins of your legs. It gently squeezes your legs to move blood up your legs. This helps prevent leg swelling and, to a lesser extent, blood clots. If you have varicose veins, spider veins, or have just had surgery, your health care provider may prescribe compression stockings.

Wearing stockings helps with:

·        Aching and heavy feeling in legs

·        Swelling in legs

·        Preventing blood clots, primarily after surgery or injury when you are less active

·        Preventing complications of blood clots in the legs, such as post-phlebitic syndrome (pain and swelling in the leg)

Types of Compression Stockings

Talk to your provider about what kind of compression stockings are right for you. There are many different compression stockings. They come in different:

·        Pressures, from light pressure to strong pressure

·        Lengths, from knee-high to the top of the thigh

·        Color