REAL Exclusive Magazine Kimberly Burns, OTR/L, CLT - Perspectives - REAL Health

Compression Therapy: A Natural Pain Management Alternative

By Kimberly Burns, OTR/L, CLT

Compression is the force of pressure used for reducing volume. Compression therapy utilizes this concept through applying material to your body that has a specific gradient pressure to compensate for any impairment the circulatory or lymphatic system may have. Its purpose is to provide an appropriate force to influence fluid to return to these systems rather than remaining in the skin. Your blood pressure is a commonly known diagnostic tool that is an indicator of how much strength your heart and circulatory system have to move blood freely. When there is high blood pressure your body is at risk of causing too much fluid to be pressed out into the tissues resulting in swelling and pain. It can press on nerves causing impairment. If your blood pressure is too low, you may also the same results due to pressure of blood remaining in your arms or legs because it does not have the force to make it back to the heart in a timely manner. Circulatory problems are also a factor in the ability to lose weight.

Compression therapy acts to counter balance the internal pressures along with other external pressures such as tissue elasticity, barometric pressure, and humidity. YES! The weather truly does have a significant effect on those of us who have chronic pain, circulatory problems or an autoimmune disease. When the barometric pressure drops, there is less force acting on your body from the external environment which may allow for your internal environment to exert more pressure. This is especially true for already weakened or damaged blood and lymph vessels. When the day is sunny and the barometric pressure is up, without humidity, you may find that those are the days that there is less pain, swelling and an improved ability to move without stiffness. Ahh…Balance.

Pressure is not always thought of as a treatment for many symptoms or diseases. It is most widely recognized as a form of treatment after an injury or sprain. “Rest Ice Compression Elevation”. It is also what is used to stop bleeding. You press the area to stop blood flow so it can begin to form a clot which will eventually close the area. Compression therapy is a natural alternative to medication for helping fluids flow from tissue to the circulatory and lymphatic system as it was meant to.

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Compression stockings are well known in the medical world yet so underutilized possibly due to the limited knowledge medical practitioners have regarding the lymphatic system and its therapeutic benefits. If you aren’t somehow involved closely with the medical world then compression stockings are “what Granny wears”! Trying quality compression garments, such as stockings, is usually a great way to start understanding the benefits that compression therapy can have for you. Wearing compression stockings improves blood flow in your legs. It supports the skin to maintain an even internal pressure to keep fluid, fat, or toxins moving in the right direction in order to go through the body’s removal process. Caution should be made in your choice of stocking brand as well as the level of compression and fabric it is made of. Generic brands tend to be less supportive, more elastic and poorly graded compression levels. If you have a current disease process going on, you should seek the advice of a qualified medical professional to determine your ability to wear compression stockings or garments safely.

Who can benefit from trying compression therapy? Anyone who is on their feet all day, sitting in a chair for long periods of time, if you have a feeling of heaviness in your legs regularly or if you already have swelling or other leg symptoms. Compression stockings are a good choice for you. There are also compression sleeves for the arms and hands. Swelling of the upper body is common with breast cancer as the lymph nodes that are meant to clear that arm could be damaged by the cancer, the treatment or surgery.

People who have autoimmune disorders are at risk for all sorts of symptoms. That little gene that turns your body on itself can wreak havoc on your circulatory system making valves weak. It can attack your tendons and joints causing inflammation and swelling. Watch out thyroid! Here I come. No part of you is safe. What you can do is provide your body with the external support through compression so that the internal pressures can be reduced. Stockings for arms or legs help to keep our extremities from overloading and individual site bandaging can alleviate pain and swelling.

For a consultation on how compression therapy can help you, call for a free review of how it can benefit you. Already know what your compression needs are? Place an order with me for your Juzo Stockings and sleeves. Compression, understand what it can do for your health.

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^[3]Kimberly Burns, OTR/L, CLT, is an Occupational Therapist with over 14 years’ experience working with clients ranging from infants to the elderly. She has always had passion for wellness and what she could do at home for herself to manage pain and delay disease processes. Her recent certification in Lymphedema Therapy has provided her further incentive to focus her business around preventing disease and halting its progression. Kimberly Burns, OTR/L, CLT – (215) 499.0444 – Kim.Burns@SensoryIntuition.com ^[4] – www.SensoryIntuition.com ^[5].

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