Recycle Your Old Support Hose and Support Socks

Wait, don't throw out your old pair of support hose.

Send us Your Old Support Hose for a Recycling Rebate


Now instead of taking up valuable space in your underwear drawer, your support hose can be turned into things you never imaged.

Want to add your suggestions? Send us a quick message and we'll list it below recyclesupporthose@healthylegs.com

Driving you to Danger - Preventing Blood Clots (DVT) During Long Trips

This short online video shows the effects of long travel trips and causes of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and blood clots. See LegHealth.com for more details. Prevention of Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) and Blood Clots During Long Trips

Online Interactive Tool for Support Hose - What Level of Compression is Right for You?

What Level of Compression is Right for You?

New - from Healthy Legs.  We can help you determine the correct level of
gradient compression for your support hose.

Nurses track their mileage in Support Hose

Nurses track their mileage in Support Hose(HometownAnnapolis.com)

A few times a week, Irine Devroude slips on her sneakers and prepares for a long bout of stretching and cardio.
But Ms. Devroude isn't going to the gym, she's heading to her shift at Baltimore Washington Medical Center. The nurse spends her 12-hour shifts navigating the 46-bed unit on the second floor of the main building. The task requires daily treks to the pharmacy and lab, and assisting patients on other floors.
So it came as no surprise to the Crofton resident when she wore a pedometer and noticed that she walked about 4 to 6 miles each shift. On a particularly brutal day, she walked 9 miles, the most she's ever done.

"Unfortunately, our floors are concrete," Ms. Devroude said. "The first thing I've been doing from day one is wearing support hose. For that reason, it keeps my legs from being that much more tired."

Ms. Devroude and other nurses at BWMC wore pedometers for a 2-week period this year to see how much walking they get in. Many nurses logged 3 to 6 miles in an eight-hour shift. Nurses who work 12-hour shifts walk even more. Anne Arundel Medical Center did a similar effort with its nurses last year.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended walking as a good form of exercise, along with common chores such as gardening and washing cars.

For a month in 2003, researchers surveyed the walking habits of nearly 150 nurses working 12-hour shifts. It found that the nurses walked 4 to 5 miles per 12-hour shift, and 1/3 to 1/2 of a mile per hour worked, according to results published in the August 2006 issue of MedSurg Nursing, the Journal of Adult Health.

The article also cited an ongoing study on nurses' health and found that those who are ages 40 to 65 experienced reduced diabetes and stroke. Yet the constant walking could also accelerate fatigue and exacerbate underlying muscle injuries, according to the study.

At AAMC's emergency room, the movement is constant and the brands of shoes are abundant. The nurses wore Birkenstocks, Danskos, sneakers or whatever makes them the most comfortable. Nurse Sally Grimm opts for Danskos.

"A typical (registered nurse) in this department would walk from one end to the other at least multiple times every day," said Ms. Grimm, a clinical educator. "It's what we do and we try to develop a system that will make us efficient about where we walk. The bottom line is, you have to get to point A and point B and you have to do it a lot."

The work of BWMC nurse Debbie Russell takes her around the campus, sometimes to four buildings. She works in the hospital's breast program and aids patients who are being treated for breast cancer, from diagnosis to surgery and radiology. She averages 4 miles per shift, but her most has been 7 miles.

Ms. Russell takes her own precautions for walking. She opts for sneakers and usually replaces them every 6 months.

She also wears sunscreen and a hat when she has to go outside during warmer weather. As if the constant walking wasn't enough, Ms. Russell also does yoga when she isn't working.

"I make sure that when I can sit down, I do sit down," said Ms. Russell, of Odenton. "(But) my calves are in good shape."

Pregnancy Related Low Back Pain - use of Support Stockings

Pregnancy-related Low Back Pain

By Darryl B. Sneag, AB; John A. Bendo, MD
ORTHOPEDICS 2007; 30:839

An enduring debate in pregnancy care is whether low back pain is an inevitable or perhaps even essential component of a healthy pregnancy. Some have suggested that low back pain may perform a functional role as a protective agent by focusing women’s attention on the physical stresses their bodies are undergoing, thereby making them more cautious during pregnancy. Regardless, diagnosis and treatment of low back pain present formidable challenges to patients and their health care providers.

In women with nocturnal pain, decreased time spent sleeping in the supine position may alleviate symptoms. Advising women to sleep on their side may reduce pressure on the vena cava and resolve pain that is possibly vascular in origin. Several apparati may also provide significant relief. A wedge-shaped pillow can support the gravid uterus and abdomen while lying on one’s side. Women using such a pillow reported less backache than women using a standard cushion.

In addition, stockings that promote venous return may reduce lower extremity edema and nocturnal low back pain.

read the complete article

Will Your Medical Insurance Pay for Support Hose?

Helpful Tips for Successful Reimbursement

While Medicare does not cover compression hosiery except for treatment of Venous Stasis Ulcers ( more info ), we've heard from many of our customers that they have found the "recipe" for success.We've posted a couple of new items in our knowledgebase that might help you get reimbursed for your support hose.

The first is a document from Aetna that outlines the criteria that must be met for reimbursement from some of their plans ( more info ). Overall, if your physician has prescribed at least a compression of 20mmHg for one of their listed medical conditions, they would cover compression hose in their listed medical plans.

While we can't guarantee success for everyone, just sending this document with your claim may help. If you have any questions about this document, just send us a message ( email for document questions ) and we'll do our best to help.

Medicare and Insurance FAQ can be found here.

CBS correspondent tells of day the bomb went off - now wears support stockings

CBS correspondent tells of day the bomb went off - now wears support hose

After speaking with several of the soldiers and their families, Dozier contacted veteran CBS producer Susan Zirinsky and said, "I have a story to tell." The result is Flashpoint, a documentary about the aftermath of the bomb, which airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday, exactly a year after the explosion.

The prime-time special, anchored by Katie Couric, recounts the chaos immediately after the blast and its ripple effects months later.

Dozier still has to wear support stockings to keep her legs from swelling, but she's able to run again and is itching to return to the Mideast. She's still discussing her next assignment with CBS, but it won't be Baghdad again - for now, at least.


"What we tried to do in this program is not just show what happened to our crew, but show what happens when one of these bombs goes off - and they go off, as you know, pretty much every single day - what happens to so many people and how many lives are affected," said CBS News president Sean McManus.

The hourlong piece, which will be presented with limited commercial interruption, is unflinching in its portrayal of the bomb's carnage. There are scenes inside a Baghdad hospital of Dozier lying on a bed with gashed legs, screaming through her breathing tube - images captured by a CNN crew that happened to be filming that day. Bloodied soldiers writhe in agony on nearby gurneys.

The emotional repercussions of the attack have not yet subsided. CBS producer Kate Rydell is consumed with guilt that she insisted that the Army let both Douglas and Brolan go on the patrol, instead of just Douglas.

Sgt. Justin Farrar, Funkhouser's driver, feels he let down his captain by not protecting him from the explosion. "I should have been by you, sir," he says tearfully during the program, standing at Funkhouser's grave
.
For months, Dozier was dogged by memories of that day. But the experience also "leaves you with the strength of your convictions in a way I never had before," she said. "It reinforced what I already knew - why it was important to explain why these men and women were doing this job every day."

DVT Support Socks could replace drugs as lifeline for 1m hospital patients

DVT Support Socks could replace drugs as lifeline for 1m hospital patients

Up to a million hospital patients at risk of deadly blood clots will be given stockings to wear in bed, rather than drugs, according to Health Service guidelines.

At least 25,000 patients die every year - 25 times the number killed by the suberbug MRSA - after suffering deep vein thrombosis following a hospital operation.

Last week a highly critical report from MPs warned that the NHS was systematically underestimating the threat, leading to 500 unnecessary deaths a week.

They demanded urgent measures to combat blood-clotting, which costs the NHS £640million a year despite preventative drugs costing just £1 a day.

But new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, being sent to all hospitals in England and Wales, say only patients aged 60 and over should be routinely considered for bloodthinning drugs.

Up to a million patients aged between 40 and 60 will instead be given compression stockings to wear in hospital, and possibly inflatable "boots" during an operation to encourage blood flow to the legs.

General Surgeon: Advice to Medical Students

Doctor offers practical advice, culled from years of experience.


"Wear good support hose when you're on call," I'll say, "and your legs won't get so tired.

"And no matter how skanky the locker room, make sure you take a shower if you're ever up all night, because a shower is worth two hours sleep."

Anti-Gravity Support Socks

Medicine from the Trenches

Suggestions for tired aching legs from a New Surgeon

If you spend as much time on your feet as I do, you get to know what works and what does not work in terms of foot comfort. There is no feeling worse than finding yourself in the middle of a 5-hour case with feet that are crying out for attention. This situation can affect your concentration and generally make an enjoyable situation pretty miserable.

My choice of socks and hosiery also come to play in my choice of foot wear. Support hose are a necessity for both men and women. Ten hours of standing will leave anyone with aching legs unless support hose are worn. My favorite technique is to wear a pair of support hose with thin cotton socks over top of my feet. I always liked having some cotton on my feet to absorb moisture.

A good pedicure is also a necessity for a surgeon. Again, anything that keeps your feet healthy and happy will be quite useful. I keep my toenails well groomed and properly cut both for running and for standing. A poorly trimmed toenail can cause problems during a long case, not to mention, rips in your support hose.
A good pedicure, support hose, cotton sock, a sprinkle of baking soda and my Birkie Bostons keep me ready to go for hours and hours. My feet stay happy and I barely notice them. After a long hard day in the OR, I treat myself to a dip in the whirlp0ol with the jets flowing over my feet and back. You can add a whirlpool tub to those necessities of a surgeon.

"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Support Hose"

Try our new Healthy Legs KnowledgeBase.

We've updated ane expanded our most frequently asked questions and answers along with recent inquiries from our customers.

We're proud to give you the most up-to-date and complete resource to your questions about support hose and compression therapy.