We all tend to take our health for granted at certain times, forgetting to take proper care of our bodies. Only when we push ourselves to the limit or face serious health issues, we think about healing treatments and therapies.
None of us should wait for something to go wrong and take action only when confronted with pain and discomfort. Some therapies and treatments can keep our body functioning better, improve overall health, and heal and prevent injuries. Compression therapy is one of those simple and effective means we can utilize to take proper care of ourselves.
You might have heard about some people wearing special socks during the day or noticed some athletes around the field wearing odd-looking boots. These are all compression garments that work to improve blood circulation, prevent vein disease, and reduce pain, swelling, and discomfort in muscles. But what is compression therapy, and how does it work?
What is Compression Therapy
Compression therapy is not a new medical treatment. It has been around for many decades, helping athletes and people suffering from chronic diseases. Basically, this therapy reduces pain in extremities and improves the overall quality of life for people with many conditions and problems.
The main goal of compression therapy is to increase blood flow. The human circulatory system delivers oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to body cells, and consequently, gets rid of metabolic wastes and toxins in your system. By increasing blood flow, compression therapy ensures more oxygen and nutrients to your body, which is essential for fast healing and proper body functioning.
Now, compression therapy improves blood flow by providing more support to your veins. Depending on the situation, the treatment may include wearing socks, stockings, pantyhose, or sleeves. All these garments are designed to apply gentle pressure to specific body parts. Because poor circulation is the result of narrow blood vessels and arteries, compression clothing works to stretch out and loosen vein walls.
Benefits of Compression Therapy
When it comes to the benefits of compression therapy, the list is very long. You’ll be surprised by how much this treatment can influence your well-being and life quality. We try to cover some of the main benefits in the following section.
- Enhance Movements – A lot of people feel stiffness in their bodies and have difficulties with moving freely. Low flexibility is not that rare at all, and it’s something you can improve significantly over time. You might think you will never be as flexible as those yoga practitioners that can twist their bodies in incredible ways, but compressive therapy can help you out. Muscles in your body get relaxed from compression, which means you’ll be able to stretch and move with ease.
- Prevents Disease Development – Those who suffer from chronic conditions may benefit from compression therapy the most. Venous diseases arise due to increased strain in the leg veins and decreased blood flow. They follow leg injuries, surgeries, blood clots, and sedentary life, causing a lot of pain for patients. Compression therapy works to increase circulation, and therefore, prevent the discomfort that comes from venous diseases. By doing so, the treatment makes life easier and better.
- Improves Overall Health – Even if you don’t suffer from any diseases, you can highly benefit from compression therapy. People who stand or sit throughout the entire day tend to experience more pain and discomfort in muscles and veins. Whether you’re spending all day in the office or traveling a lot, you can use compression therapy to enhance your blood flow and keep your body healthy at all times.
- Promotes Athletic Performance – Athletes can also benefit from compression therapy. This treatment speeds up the recovery by reducing swelling and inflammation in the legs. It also prevents muscle soreness and fatigue while increasing range of motion as well. Considering all of this, athletes can significantly improve their overall performance by using compression treatments.
Types of Compression Therapy
There are two main types of compression therapy – cold and hot. Although highly beneficial in general, these treatments are used for different conditions. To find out what works best for you, don’t miss to check out the following information about these two therapy types.
Cold Compression Therapy
Cold compression therapy works for strains, pulled muscles and ligaments, and general pain and swelling from sports injuries. It also works wonders for after-surgery pain. Because cold compress softens tissues, it’s highly-recommended after orthopedic surgeries and health conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, edema, and lymphedema.
All these conditions require inflammation reduction, which is achieved by restricting overall blood supply with a cold compress. Cold compression therapy also works wonders for pain experienced after surgeries, traumas, and other similar medical conditions.
Hot Compression Therapy
On the other hand, hot compression is mostly used for improving blood flow. The heat helps with chronic muscle pain and sore joints caused by arthritis and similar conditions. It relaxes sore and tightened muscles, dilates blood vessels to promote circulation, and eliminates lactic acid waste from the body. Overall, heat compression treatments are mostly used for sports injuries and daily issues when chronic irritation and stiffness is present in muscles.
Compression Therapy FAQ
If you have never heard about compression therapy before or you haven’t’ had a chance to try it out, it’s natural that you have a lot of questions about it. We are here to help you resolve all the potential doubts and answer some of the frequently asked questions about compression therapy.
How often should I use compression therapy?
It all depends on your general health and the reason for using the therapy in the first place. If you want to improve your overall health and don’t have any injuries or diseases, two to three times a week for a month or two will be sufficient.
On the other hand, if you have a chronic health condition, you might need to engage in a regular protocol. At least three times per week might be necessary in this case, as well as a lot of patience. It takes time to see real improvements when dealing with serious diseases.
If you’re an athlete, also keep in mind that you can use compression therapy after heavy workouts and games to relieve common soreness and fatigue.
When is compression therapy not recommended?
Compression therapy is completely safe for use, but certain health conditions might require caution or pose an obstacle to performing the treatment. Some diseases might cause complications and prevent results when taking the therapy, so make sure to consult a clinician before you start using any compression garment. A professional will know whether it’s safe to start the treatment or not and prescribe a proper dose according to your health condition.
Is compression therapy comfortable?
Yes, compression therapy is very comfortable. Most people have their doubts because of the pressure applied to the treated area, but this therapy proves to be quite soothing and relaxing.
Which compression therapy garments to use?
As we mentioned earlier, you can use compression garments such as bandages, sleeves, tights, socks, and stockings. Which one will work the best for you depends on what amount of compression you need and in what body area. All compression garments are made from elastic materials that can support muscles and veins properly, but not all of them are equally efficient.
Therefore, you might want to consider the amount of pressure you need before the purchase. You also get to choose between hot and cold treatments, various garments sizes, and more. If you’re not sure about any of these things, don’t hesitate to consult a clinician.
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Compression Devices and Options
Sock and stocking are by no means the only things you can use for compression therapy. There are specially designed devices you can purchase to enjoy highly-efficient compression treatment from the warmth of your home. We break all about these useful devices below.
Using a compression device at home
A compression device that works on batteries or electric current is incredibly convenient for those who need compression treatments frequently. These devices inflate wraps with compressed air, tighten around your body parts, and apply pressure on particular areas. This way, they promote proper blood circulation without much effort from your side.
A device like this is ideal for those who need to adjust the amount of pressure during each treatment or need more than compression socks can give. We highly recommend them for athletes who would like to have a treatment before each challenging workout or post-surgery patients who have to rest and relax in the comfort of their homes.
Although electric compression therapy devices might be pricier than bandages and socks, they make a smart investment in the long run. Furthermore, they provide unlimited access and allow for keeping up your own pace in therapy.
Introducing DVTherapy
Pacific Biomedical offers just an ideal device to use at home, especially after injuries and surgeries. We are talking about a reliable system that comes with hip and leg wraps to ensure proper blood circulation in the lower body area.
DVTherapy provides both hot and cold compression therapy for ultimate results when dealing with all kinds of health problems. Because it’s versatile and packed with features, this electric device ensures pain relief, especially when it comes to Deep Vein Thrombosis.
One of the main benefits of using DVTherapy is convenience. The compression therapy machine offers programmed therapy combinations and allows you to set the new ones manually. It comes with user-friendly features for easy operation and is very compact and easy to move around.
You can also contact Pacific Biomedical and get a free consultation. This way, you can make sure the DVTherapy is suitable for you. Additionally, the company delivers its products in all the areas surrounding Phoenix and sends professionals to set up devices for the first time. All you need to do is to lay back and invest your time and effort in your well being and recovery.
Lastly, a lot of people wonder whether compression therapy is worth it or not. The answer is yes, it most certainly is. Compression therapy improves blood flow, reduces pain, and overall, makes life more comfortable. It’s only essential to pick the right compression garment, so you can treat your body according to its needs.
