Compression Therapy

It is good for us to take a simple overview.

We all know that we have an entire circulatory system. This system runs throughout our bodies. The reason for the system is to deliver nutrients and other elements. The way these nutrients and elements are carried is by being incorporated into our blood. The blood is pumped through the system by the heart. Oxygen is added to the blood through the lungs. Actually there are various organs within our body that add to (or take out impurities) the nutrients and elements in the blood. Some of these organs are the kidneys, liver, and aforementioned lungs. The blood is transported through our bodies via veins and arteries. The heart pumps blood into the arteries.
The blood then circulates back to the heart via the veins. “Out arteries and back via veins”. This is remembered because “out” is close to “Art” in the word artery and “via” is closer to “vei” in veins. Not the easiest line to remember – but I bet after reading it you will not forget. When the blood is depleted of oxygen the capillaries are where the blood without oxygen is swapped for the blood with oxygen.

Pretty simple. Well enormously complex but the above is certainly a concise overview.

Problems occur when this system is functioning at a less than optimum level. The legs, being furthest from the heart, are effected first and the most when this system is malfunctioning. Here is where it gets interesting. Did you know that our muscles in our calf act as sort of a secondary pump for the circulatory system?
Well they do and it really is fascinating. When we walk the calf muscles is activated and it then squeezes veins and arteries. The squeezing of the vein in such a way as to “pump” the blood back to the heart and it squeezes the artery in such as way as to stop any “back flow” pressure of the blood backwards.

The entire vein system is very complex and of course that is not the purpose of this overview. Let leave it saying it is obviously a critical system that needs to function properly. For more investigation into the system and its parts there are numerous resources across the web.

For our purposes we know that the circulatory system is not properly functioning and it needs some help. This is where compression therapy comes into play. You can now also see why most of the time you here about graduated compression stockings. This graduated compression is where the most pressure is close to the ankle and then reduces as you move up the leg. From the explanation above, now you know why this is handled this way. There needs to be more pumping assistance the further you are from the heart. In essence with this treatment we are creating pressure at the lower leg and then slowly lowering that pressure up the leg in order to support and assist the body in circulating blood. The reason we graduate the pressure is because we want to force the blood to flow up and out. If we applied even pressure then the blood would go in multiple directions. By apply it in a graduated fashion the blood flows to where there is less pressure – up the leg.

You may be one of those that have been told you have a chronic problem and that your system is entirely malfunctioning and hence you are in dire need of compression therapy. These chronic conditions have many names but all can be more or less described with what we covered above. But for those that want to ensure we are addressing their specific needs here is a quick overview.

You have an increase statistical chance of these problems if you are overweight, older, sit a lot, have a history of the problem in your family, or if you have some other underlying circulatory cause. These problems have many names. One of which is deep vein thrombosis. This was covered earlier on this site. In essence it is a mass of something that is caught in the blood system. Oftentimes called a blood clot. This causes problem with the entire system as certain parts are overworked and other parts under worked. In the end you may have be experiencing pain, soreness, redness, or other symptoms of an underlying problem. These can all be treated. If you take the time to note them and seek treatment. See your Doctor!

It is important to note that these are all problems and issues you need to address in detail with medical professionals. It is also important for the reader to know that there are a wide variety of compression products on the market. Each of these is geared to a different condition. Knowing and getting proper advice, not from this website, but from a physician is critical. This site is to give you underlying knowledge so you know and better understand what your Doctor is telling you. For example you may thing you are seeking TEDS as compression stockings. Well the fact is that we are not discussing TEDS so do not buy them unless your Doctor tells you that is what you need. We are primarily discussing graduated compression – TEDS are for a different purpose. I am putting this here not to make a “gotcha” moment but to underline the importance of proper advice. And the only advice you can get that is proper is advice from your personal Doctor. Never take action based on a website.

You may also have an open sore near your ankle. It would be an oozing or “weep” raw looking wound or sore. Usually the area that surround this sore is flaky, dry, or it may itch. Once again if you see anything on yourself that resembles this – See your Doctor!

It is probably appropriate to cover something most are familiar with. That is varicose veins. A varicose vein is quite simply a vein that is getting blood flow in two directions. This causes the valves to break down and the vein to become damaged. This condition is a symptom of having other circulatory system problems. These problems need to be identified and treated.

This is not a simple issue. We oftentimes think it is a point of vanity. But really there are millions of Americans that do not realize that varicose veins are a sign of more problems. The key is to understand that anytime your body shown you an unusual symptom it is not just a “sign of aging” it oftentimes is a warning of other issues.

The reason most people believe they get these is because the have a history of it in the family or they are obese or stand a lot. But really the causes that most associate with varicose veins are not the cause of them. They are causes of other underlying circulatory system malfunctions that manifest themselves as varicose. Therefore the symptom is really the result of a third party cause. Interesting isn't it?

Did you know that there was even something called a leg ulcer? It is interesting to note that leg ulcers are a huge issue that affects hundreds of thousands if not millions of people and is responsible for a large reduction in overall workforce productivity. Once again this is as a result of a different underlying circulatory problem. The leg ulcer is as a result of a system that was damaged from a separate cause. It is always important to understand this. You need to not only treat the proximate cause but also the underlying primary cause. Never settle for simply treating the most urgent or visible symptom. Seek to treat the entire system as well as the underlying symptom. Ask you Doctor about this.

These ulcers are not the end of the world. The appear as a “gash” like wound usually near the ankle. They can be treated and taken care of – though it is likely you will need to use compression therapy for years after the initial wound heals. Maybe longer – talk to you medical doctor. Hopefully you take the advice earlier and attempt to address the entire underlying primary cause in order to ensure that more adverse side affects do not surface.