Introduction to Applying Elastic Stockings
Exercising each day and staying active helps circulation in our legs. You might have heard a doctor or nurse talk about “getting your circulation going” to prevent blood clots from forming in the legs. A blood clot can form in a vein of the body if circulation slows or if there is damage or irritation to a vein. A deep vein thrombosis or DVT is a clot in a deep vein, usually in the legs.
A number of conditions can cause a DVT. When a person develops a DVT, the clot in the vein can easily break off and travel up to the person’s lungs and then block blood flow to the lung. This condition is called a Pulmonary Embolus (PE) and it is life threatening.
If you provide care for someone who is at risk for forming a DVT, you need to understand why the person is at risk and how you can lower those risks. One approach to reducing the risk for DVT is wearing compression or elastic stockings.
Compression stockings provide support and firm pressure around the veins on the outside of the legs. The stockings prevent blood from pooling to lessen the chance of clots forming. This lesson will show you how to apply compression stockings correctly and other tips for preventing a DVT.
Here is Janine’s story:
My husband Felix had a hip replacement just last week. He also has diabetes. His doctor told us that the surgery combined with his diabetes puts Felix at risk for a blood clot to form in his leg while he recovers. The doctor told us that even though Felix has not had trouble with circulation in his legs, we need to take precautions. So, the very first day after surgery, Felix had to start rehab to begin exercises and moving around. That surprised us because we didn’t know that he could exercise so quickly. Felix also takes a medicine called Enoxaparin (Lovenox) to keep his blood thin. He also has to wear a pair of elastic stockings. They are a bit hard to put on by yourself, especially after having hip surgery, so I learned an easy way to slip the stockings on. I keep an extra pair, so when it is time to remove them, I can launder one pair while he wears the clean one.