If you have weakness and/or arthritic pain in your hands, zipper compression socks or stockings may just be what the doctor ordered to make things easier for you.
Only a limited number of brands such as Jobst, Bell-Horn or Curad (Medline) offer specialized medical compression socks or stockings featuring a zipper to make putting them on and taking them off easier for individuals with restricted strength or dexterity.
Whether you are dealing with swelling or venous issues such as defective valves inside your leg veins or bulging varicose veins, compression therapy is generally the first line of defense in treating these conditions by controlling symptoms and slowing their progression.
Compression on the leg can help resolve problems by restoring proper return blood flow to the heart and lungs and preventing blood and fluid from pooling in the legs. If left untreated, anomalous blood circulation or stagnating blood in the legs can lead to more serious complications such as skin changes, tissue damage or vein and skin ulcerations.
For many wearers of compression hosiery, donning and doffing can be a daily struggle. This is especially true with compression stockings of higher compression classifications (e.g. 30-40 mmHg or higher).
For compression stockings to be most effective, they must be put on first thing in the morning, preferably before getting out of bed. The reason for this is to prevent blood and fluids from surging down into the legs from gravity force and causing the legs to swell before one has a chance to put on their compression stockings. Once the legs have begun to swell it becomes much more difficult to put on compression garments.
Zippered compression socks or stockings can make life much easier if you are dealing with any of the following challenges:
Zipper compression stockings are available mainly in knee-high length and compression strength classifications of moderate with 20-30 mmHg and high 30-40 mmHg. As with all compression stockings above 20 mmHg of graduated compression, the above stated compression levels should be prescribed only as well as monitored under the care of a primary physician or a vein specialist.
Compression support leg wear in the 20-30 mmHg range is designed to boost blood circulation and reduce swelling in the legs. Knee-high compression stockings with a built in zipper make it easier for the patient or caregiver to put on the support hosiery or take it off before retiring to bed. The zipper feature on the support stockings also provides quick access during doctor visits for medical examination.
20-30 mmHg Compression Stockings are designed to help with
– Aching, heavy and tired feeling legs
– Milder varicose veins during pregnancy
– Mild to moderate swelling
– Recovery after venous procedures (sclerotherapy, radio frequency ablation, vein surgery)
– Leg swelling as a result of inactivity
Zippered 30-40 mmHg compression socks are frequently the support garment of choice for wound care patients with venous ulcers, which can make the donning and doffing of compression garments particularly challenging.
Specific for ulcer patients, some zipper compression stocking brands such as Jobst® Ulcer Care and Ames Walker style 62901 are designed as a dual stocking system.
These two part systems consist of a liner sleeve which helps with holding the wound dressing in place and the outer zippered stocking for easier donning and doffing.
30-40 mmHg Compression Stockings are designed to help with
– Chronic venous insufficiency
– Severe varicose veins and edema during pregnancy
– Deep vein thrombosis (if too painful lesser compression may be needed initially)
– Post thrombotic syndrome
– Serious varicose veins
– Severe edema or lymphedema
– Orthostatic hypotension
– Postural hypotension
Zippered anti-embolism stockings with a compression level of 18 mmHg are available from company Bell-Horn in a comprehensive range of knee length and thigh length sizes. These TED hose style stockings are intended for patients suffering from venostasis and those who are immobile after surgery.
In summary, it should be pointed out that the treatment strategies involving compression stockings often fail because of poor participation (compliance) of the patients. For example, elderly patients or overweight patients are often faced with severe difficulties in applying compression stockings. They often must rely on assistance from family members or care personnel for donning and doffing their support stockings.
With the availability of compression stockings with zippers, such patients have a much easier time putting their stockings on or taking them off thereby encouraging them to be fully compliant with their compression therapy.
However, some patients who cannot tolerate the pressure and/or elastic of compression hosiery because of sensitive skin or because they tend to easily develop irritations and sores may not be able to wear zipper type compression stockings.
Fortunately for these individuals there are adjustable compression wraps or bands available such as the CircAid Juxta-Fit compression wrap, which allow the patient to adjust the compression to any level between 20-30, 30-40 or even higher as directed by their physician.
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View Comments
All the pictures show a zipper on the outside of the leg...can you wear a zipper on the inside of the leg as well?
you can wear the zipper either way, inside or outside. your preference. i prefer outside. but it doesnt matter. if you still have questions, please ask your doctor. my doctor had never seen the kind with a zipper !! she called her nurse in to see them! (they were both wearing the plain, original, pull on type for work.) they thanked me for showing them and how inexpensive they were on the 'big A' online. i do tuck a soft piece of cloth in between the very top of the zipper and my leg for comfort. but this type of sock is truly life saving for me.
Do they make compression pantyhose (kind of leggings type) with zipper?
Thank you for your question Marianella. I am not aware of any compression pantyhose with a zipper. If you or anyone else commenting on our blog find any of this type please update your comment here.
Interesting comments, but neither they nor the article itself answers my question: with zippered suppression hose, does the zipper go on the inside or outside of the leg?
either way, it's up to you what is most comfortable. try both ways and see what you prefer.
Thank you for helping me understand more about zipper compression socks. I'll be honest, I actually hadn't heard of these before, but it's really cool to know that they are designed to help people, like how the 20-30 mmHg ones can actually help with swelling. I'm a bit interested to learn more about how these socks can help.
Where and how do you order these. I am in Canada so is there any place here we could get a pair? Please let me know.
If you check different online stores I'm sure you will find what you are looking for. Good luck!
This article was most helpful, but also complex. A good measurement by a qualified physician
is the key. Thank you.
I need to know how to order these below:
September 19, 2014 at 6:50 pm
Need zipper compression socks (knee high) in 20-30 mm-hg range in L and XL
sizes. Thank you.
707-423-3780
Hi, I am adding this comment here for the benefit of anyone with deep venous insufficiency who requires to use and wear compression stockings.
There are a lot of options as to which kind of stockings you can try. In England the grades of stocking are typically 3-4 and you can usually get them eiher made to measure (the best option), or pick a size that gives a good general fit. A lot of people find compression hose uncomfortable but as a lifelong sufferer of deep venous insufficiency, I have found them to be effective for what they do - stimulate blood circulation in legs and assist the venous system in functioning correctly. They are difficult to get on because they are designed to be tight. People with back problems may find it hard to reach their toes and get them over (there is very little give and they don't stretch much). Some people also find it hard to pull them up although I find the lighter grades of compression easier to pull on. They can also be hard to take off due to them being tight at the ankle and the effort required can aggravate a bad back.
I have worn all grades of stockings and find grade three and four most effective for my condition, but due to other health issues, I find them hard to pull on and take off. Zippered stockings are not perfect because the zip can dig into your ankles. Usually there is protection under the zip but the pressure around it can cause damage. Also usually you cannot open the zip all the way when putting the stocking on because these garments are tight and it requires enormous effort to pull the zip up. I am not sure if this is true of lighter stocking class/grade because they are usually stretchier. The zip is useful when you take the stocking off if the zip goes beyond the ankle. I find this to be the best feature, even though they are generally uncomfortable and cause pressure around my ankles where the zipper kind of scrunches up. Also they have to be perfectly aligned. If the heal os even slightly out of position the rigid zipper will send pressure completely to the wrong place causing aches, pains and discomfort. The way I wear them is to open the zip arpund 10cm, slide in my toe to the point I can reach them around the heel. I then position them correctly and pull them up so the heel lines up well. If you do ot right, you will be as comfortable as you can be in these. Bear in mind, if you are using grade/class 1/2, they may not be as uncomfortable because they are stretchier (and less effective for more severe condition), but the higher grade stockings provide a lot of compression so the tightness, combined with the rigidity and creases in the zip can make for an uncomfortable experience - more so if you fail to align them correctly. When you wear them correctly they will be as good as they can be but hey will never be comfortable, and I do find the non-zipped versions very comfortable. Having said that for me the zipped versions are necessary to wear so I have to make the most of it. I hope this information is useful
Thanks for this detailed and awesome contribution.
Need zipper compression socks (knee high) in 20-30 mm-hg range in L and XL
sizes. Thank you.