Health Encyclopedia

Pressure stockings

Pressure stockings will improve blood flow in the veins of your legs and lower your risk for blood clots and their complications. The stockings use graduated pressure to keep blood from pooling in your legs. They are tightest at the ankle and gradually decrease in pressure up the leg. Stockings may extend to your knee or up to your thigh.

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Review Date: 7/21/2022

Reviewed By: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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