Does anyone have any advice on compression garments when excercising. I wear a stocking on my right leg.
I do a mix of indoor activities like the gym and dancing and mountaineering (backcountry skiing, climbing, hiking etc). The compression stockings I get from the NHS are not suitable for these environments. Either they do not hold up when moving, they hold the sweat or they do not provide the appropriate protection from the environment. For example when skiing they freeze up, which has the potential to be dangerous or when hiking the material encourages blisters at the feet and causes blisters at the sticky bit which keeps it up.
I have found that the type of excersizes I do can exacerbate my symptoms and so I need to find a way to manage these. Ive been a lifelong mountaineer and my indoor exercises bring me such joy that quitting would be counterproductive.
I know that exercise clothing companies sell 'compression' garments. Im wondering if anyone has any experience of these and if they know of some good brands where the compression is sufficient to manage swelling.
I am one of MacMillan’s community champions and I noticed you hadn’t had a response to your post. I don’t have lymphoedema but I do exercise, and I purchase running shoes from my local independent sports equipment retailer. It’s the sort of place where you go through a complex process to be assessed for shoes. I have seen people coming in for compression sleeves and also things to support calves, knees etc. I would think if you can find a sports compression item that provides proper coverage of the affected area, it will help. The important thing is to get the correct size. I have seen people being measured up, albeit for compression sleeves. If you have a specialist shop - and I think independents are likely to be more helpful than the well known chains - they can probably advise on sizing. They are unlikely to be experts in lymphodaema but may have come across it before. I think you are absolutely right to continue doing the exercise you love, even if it can sometimes exacerbate your issues.
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