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Compression stockings - Management
Basis for recommendation
- Below-knee compression is preferred because:
- Below-knee compression is better tolerated than thigh-length compression, resulting in improved compliance.
- Below-knee stockings improve the action of the calf-muscle pump, thereby improving venous return from the leg even if venous disease affects the proximal part of the leg.
- Most randomized controlled trials have used below-knee stockings (for a detailed discussion of the evidence for compression stockings, see the CKS topic on the particular condition being treated).
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