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Compression stockings - Management
How can I encourage compliance with wearing stockings?
- Ensure that the person understands the reasons for wearing compression stockings.
- Ensure that the person has been shown how to put on and take off the stocking. The best time to put stockings on is first thing in the morning, before any leg swelling develops.
- Check that the person is happy with the colour of the stocking. Men often prefer black or other colours, rather than flesh coloured.
- Recommend application of an emollient while the stocking is off, to reduce skin dryness and irritation.
- Ensure that the stocking is a correct fit — if standard sizes are not suitable, the person may need a made-to-measure stocking.
- If the person is having difficulty tolerating the level of compression, try a lighter compression stocking.
- If the person is having difficulty using a thigh-length stocking, consider switching to a below-knee stocking (particularly as thigh-length stockings are not usually necessary).
- If the person is having difficulty putting the stocking on, an application aid may be helpful (information about these can be obtained from the manufacturer of the stocking or from specialist services, such as leg ulcer and lymphoedema clinics).
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