Our D is 25 years old and would like medium compression open toe stockings and arm sleeves so she can exercise. She has venous insufficiency, so the blood tends to pool if she is standing of sitting for any period of time and believes this will help. The cardiologist gave her a prescription of 15-20 or medium compression. She was fitted yesterday with a Jobst open toe pair of socks and found to be petite. She has a 5 1/4" wrist and they had no arm sleeves small enough for her. I’ve looked and found some for kids at amazon.com that look promising.
Would appreciate all thoughts about what folks do and don’t like about compression socks and arm sleeves. What brands have worked best? Worst? Places to purchase? She wants them to wear while she exercises, so exercising will be more comfortable and is fine with black opaque or whatever.
I don’t have a lot of experience, except I know some pharmacies sell them. She could ask her pharmacist if he/she could order her size, even if the pharmacy doesn’t stock her size on the shelf.
Thanks all–because she’s only 5’2.5" and about 100 pounds, I’m thinking perhaps she may better fit compression gear designed for kids. Just wondering if folks have brands they have found especially good (or bad)?
My D does not have any medical problems but she (and I) have success with pro compression.
Right now they have a grab bag of 3 calf sleeves for 33.00 with code CSBG and free shipping. It’s a great deal. D wears the xs and has been happy with the fit and compression.
Zensah and 2XU are 2 brands I’ve bought in the past. Both have been fine. No experience in arm sleeves.
I like CEP stuff. I use their compression calf “sleeves” for running. The products are pricy but last as long as you never use fabric softener and never put them in the dryer. Their stuff is sized by the circumference of the ankles, not height or weight.
If you post this question in the Diet, Exercise… thread, you might get more replies because some posters who frequent that thread use compression socks etc. for exercising and recovery frequently.
Thanks for these suggestions. I would think the length of your shin (from ankle to knee) matters. For the Jobst socks we got yesterday, if that measures under 15", you are petite. @deb22, tried to order the calf sleeve grab bag but the code was rejected.
No suggestions on brands of compression sleeves/socks, but a suggestion for putting on the socks. I had ankle surgery (removal of hardware); afterwards the doctor suggested I wear compression socks while going through PT. I had a prescription for a medium compression sock, which I found was really difficult to put on. When I told the PT this, she suggested using gloves. Sounds strange, but there are gloves specifically for this purpose. I got them online. Goggle “donning gloves for compression socks” and you’ll find lots of them. They aren’t very expensive.
HIMom, I think sizing takes into account that people with skinny ankles are generally smaller height-wise. MOfWC is not much taller than your D. She likes Zensa stuff per her posts in the thread I mentioned.
Can your D order from Zappos, try the sizes and return what does not fit? It is free within continental US! I did it with my CEP stuff.
Yea, we have used Zappos–free shipping to HI as well! We bought many pairs of shoes to find the few that fit mom and that she would wear–sometimes. We ended up with dozens to find 4 pairs she sort of liked.
I like the 2XU compression gear. Most of the sizing seems to focus on the calf measured in inches- perhaps you could convert the Jobst measurements from centimeters and compare to determine what would be most comparable.
Thanks for all the suggestions. The code for the discounted calf sleeves is CSGB. I’ll have to ask D if she wants me to order them for her. It seems like it would be good for her to have a bunch of different things to try out, and the price at $11/pair delivered is very attractive.
The one pair of Jobst open toe opaque knee highs we bought D yesterday was $45 + $3 for the toe slip to help put them on. Considering how rough D is with her clothing, she could benefit from having a number of compression garments available. The fitting and buying in person was valuable, as the fitter gave her tips on how to put them on, take them off, and care for them. He also measured her, so she knows where and how to take her own measurements.
Thanks, @deb922! I ordered the grab bag of 3 calf sleeves and will see what we get. It should be interesting, as at that price, it seems like a great deal! D is interested in having some socks that don’t look quite as orthopedic as the JOBST ones, so I’ll check out the 2XU and others.
The basic sizing is that folks with shins shorter than 15 inches are considered short or petite according to some sizing guides.
For now, D prefers the open toe style, so we will wait and see how she does with the arm and calf sleeves before ordering more. She does like the open toe Jobst small petitie knee highs we bought her yesterday. She also uses a rather loose compression sock we bought at a pharmacy (it was the smallest size & I purchased it for myself but she was more interested in it than I am).
The calf sleeves grab bag arrived and D is wearing them. She got some cool colors–bright yellow, pink and lavender. We are waiting to see how the compression sleeves for her forearms work. Thanks for these thoughts.
