What exactly is the difference between support stockings and medical compression stockings?
If you ask the general public, medical compression stockings are often and incorrectly called elastic stockings or support stockings. Support stockings and compression stockings are two different products which are clearly distinguished from each other.
Support stockings are not a medical product because they do not have the properties of medical aids. They are therefore suitable only for users with healthy veins and for preventing heavy legs, for example when sitting and standing for long periods. The term ‘elastic stocking’ has long since ceased to apply to modern support and compression stockings, as modern materials, colours and patterns are used here.
Are support stockings available on prescription?
Support stockings are not medical aids and therefore cannot be prescribed by doctors and reimbursed by health insurance companies. The differences:
Medical compression stockings …
- are medical aids.
- can be prescribed if medically necessary.
- generally can be reimbursed by the statutory health insurance companies.
- have a medical effect.
- have a defined pressure distribution (German RAL quality assurance GZ 387/1).
- are correctly measured anatomically.
- are available in different compression classes.
- are used in the treatment of diseases of the venous and lymphatic system, for example varicose veins and lymphoedemas
- are part of the standard therapy for lipoedemas
- are available in predefined series sizes or as individual made-to-measure products.
- are available as round and flat knit variants in many colours, as several length variants, and with different patterns and designs.
Support stockings ...
- have no medical effect.
- are non-prescription and non-refundable, i.e. the costs must be borne entirely by the patient.
- have no defined pressure distribution.
- are usually provided in shoe sizes or ready-made sizes.
- can prevent heavy legs.
- available only as round knit series products, i.e. in a few predefined sizes.
- are usually provided only in a small range of colours and fewer length variants, for example only as knee socks.
How do support stockings or fashionable compression stockings work?
If you do not have a venous disease but still want to support your legs to counteract heavy legs, fashionable compression stockings such as mJ-1 from medi are ideal.
Are compression stockings and support stockings also available for men?
Yes, medi offers medical compression stockings for men, such as mediven for men or mediven active as well as mj-1 and medi travel for healthy veins. These men’s stockings are available from specialist medical retailers.
I’m planning to travel by aeroplane. How do support stockings help me during the flight?
Travel stockings from medi are not support stockings but compression stockings: compression supports travellers during long flights: People with healthy veins use medi travel travel socks to prevent the risk of travel thrombosis: The stocking promotes your natural blood circulation.1
The result: your legs feel light and relaxed even on long flights. Travellers suffering from venous disease, for example, wear medical compression stockings prescribed by doctors.
Grandma’s elastic stocking used to be ...
See for yourself: a very special feature of medical compression stockings from medi is that they do not look like medical aids. They are highly fashionable thanks to a large selection of standard and trendy colours for every fashion season. This means that you will gain an effective medical aid and stay highly fashionable.
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1 HF, Lee FP. Graduated compression stockings as prophylaxis for flight-related venous thrombosis: systematic literature review. J Adv Nurs 2005;51(1):83-98.
