Can compression socks help manage orthostatic hypotension?
If you don't already know, orthostatic hypotension is a condition in which your blood pressure significantly drops in an instant upon standing up. Gravity causes blood to pool in the legs when you stand from a sitting or resting position. The body attempts to push blood upward to provide oxygen to the brain. When the body is unable to do so, blood pressure drops, which causes a person to experience dizziness.
The body's capability to respond to a sudden drop in blood pressure diminishes as you become older. It is common among people aged 65 and up but can happen at any time of life and with anyone.
Compression socks compress the limbs and enhance blood flow in the legs by applying pressure on them. A study shows that wearing compression socks helps people who experience orthostatic hypotension frequently. The treatment aims to get your blood pressure back to normal, and these specially designed socks play a significant role here. Compression socks may help reduce blood pooling in the legs and reduce the symptoms as well.
Benefits of wearing compression socks:
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting, there is a high chance of reducing these symptoms by wearing compression stockings. Physicians highly recommend using these socks for patients who feel lightheaded. Also, compression socks have different levels of compression, and it is best to take the advice of your family doctor before buying them.
You can wear compression socks all day before changing clothes in the morning and take them off before going to bed. For orthostatic hypotension patients, it is best to buy at least two pairs of compression socks so they can wash between each use. That way, you will always have a spare. As a result, compression socks may help manage orthostatic hypotension by reducing its symptoms.