When you live with Diabetes there are very specific instructions you follow in many aspects of your life, to optimize your health and wellness. From diet and medication, to exercise and footwear, keeping healthy is essential; why not use all of the tools available to you to meet those active lifestyle goals for health and quality of life? One wonderful tool for improving quality of life, in relation to the lower limb, is the compression stocking.
Why should you consider compression if you have diabetes?
Often, along with Diabetes, comes peripheral vascular disease. If you happen to be affected by venous disease, you will experience edema or swelling of the lower limb, especially ankles and feet. This swelling can be debilitating when trying to keep moving for health, and can make it difficult to find proper fitting footwear. Compression socks for diabetic patients are available and BioPed clinicians can help assess, fit and recommend the compression therapy that is right for you!
Why is a clinical fit best?
One of the issues with fitting compression for those living with diabetes is the conditions of peripheral arterial disease and peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy is when there is numbness, in this case, in the feet. When experiencing neuropathy, diabetic patients, or anyone with this condition, cannot feel irritants or pain in the affected area.
This is dangerous, especially for the diabetic foot because even small friction tears, calluses or wounds can be long lasting and get much worse before they even begin to heal due to circulation issues that typically come with diabetes.
Due to peripheral neuropathy, seams and elastic in classic socks can cause irritations, friction and wounds to occur in diabetic feet that can become long lasting health issues. And if someone also has arterial concerns, these wound take a very long time to heal. It is imperative that the fit not be too small or creased, causing indentations in the skin and worsening the effects of swelling. It is also important that the socks are not too big, leading to folding over and falling down, rendering the compression garment ineffective.
Finally, if you are diabetic and have peripheral arterial disease, compression may not be right for you depending on how advanced your condition is. For this and the above reason, obtaining a clinical assessment and fit is important.
How can compression help?
Compression stockings help to improve circulation and blood flow, preventing pooling in the lower limb and reducing swelling. Compression stockings are typically graded compression, meaning it is strongest at the ankle to prevent pooling and weakest at the toes and the calf to prevent gripping or biting and allow blood to flow freely back to the heart.
Compression grades can be as low as 8-10 mmHg and also include 15-20 mmHG, 20-30 mmHg (which is medical grade), 30-40 mmHg and above (these are typically reserved for venous surgery recovery and severe blood clots). Although diabetes isn’t considered a contraindication for compression; it is important to consult your family doctor or nurse practitioner before deciding to use compression. You can always have your BioPed clinician refer you back to your doctor for a consultation, or communicate with them directly, as a prescription is always recommended for compression. If arterial deficiencies are suspected, further testing may be required to ensure compression is right for you.
Compression options for the diabetic patient
One of the premier companies we use for compression is Sigvaris. Their quality and fit are exceptional, and they have a variety of fabrics and styles to suit the needs of all patients, including if you are diabetic. Sigvaris has a diabetic compression sock that is cushioned at the toes and along the footbed to reduce pressure and increase comfort along with a flat seam at the toes to reduce irritation. The Cushioned Cotton option from Sigvaris is one that BioPed clinicians are proud to recommend to our diabetic patients. The breathability, sensitivity to the skin and increased padding on high pressure areas make this compression one of the best choices for diabetics with swelling. It also comes in 15-20 and 20-30 mmHg medical compression grades, making it more accessible for patients just starting out or in need of medical grade compression. Although other fabrics are available, discussions surrounding wounds, neuropathy and skin sensitivity can help rule out the ones that will aggravate the skin and irritate the sensitive diabetic foot.
Some compression is better than no compression. If the grade of compression is a concern for you or your doctor, you can start slow. We also offer donning and doffing devices, which help you get the socks on and off. Most notably is the rubber gloves that can help grip and slide the compression over the legs. Your BioPed clinicians go over different techniques for donning and doffing for ease of wear to fit your mobility and dexterity abilities. Patient education is something we at BioPed are passionate about!
Bring your diabetic compression questions to us in clinic or over the phone! Check out the BioPed location closest to you, schedule an appointment online or give us a call to book a consultation today and discuss your diabetic compression needs with our certified clinicians.
