getting help helping your loved ones

While reaching the elder years has its perks, such as being able to travel, having a leisurely schedule, and enjoying grandkids without the hassles of parenting, it also comes with higher health risks. Chronic conditions, aches and pains, and the threat of falling are just a few of the worrisome issues you may be dealing with. Edema, a condition where fluid retention leads to swelling, discomfort, and additional woes, may be common in these years, but it often has a highly effective remedy in the simple solution of knee-high compression socks.

How Might Knee-high Compression Socks Save Your Life?

Knee-high compression socks, very simply and effectively, improve blood flow. The decreased blood flow, a precursor to edema, can leave you with a variety of complications, from the benign, but annoying, to the severe and even life-threatening.

Treating edema promptly, following diagnosis, should be your primary goal, most especially if you're among the elderly population, as this condition wreaks havoc in nearly every aspect of life:

• Edema can create hazardous walking conditions, which means you could fall, something particularly precarious for an elderly person.
• Untreated swelling may lead to persistent infections.
• Decreased blood circulation, a side effect of edema, can cause fatigue, pain and cramping and dizziness, among other potentially threatening circumstances.
• A loss in elasticity of your veins and arteries that eventually turns into hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), which can cause numerous other complications, including sudden death from a heart attack or failure.

From short-term issues to long-term conditions, edema is a serious situation that calls for immediate and consistent attention. Knee-high compression socks are a simple, cost-effective, and efficient solution. Any one of a number of edema-related complications could be fatal, particularly to elders, meaning the socks providing solution are, in fact, potential life-savers.

When Should You Wear Them?

Your doctor will inform you of the best pressure level (ranging from mild to high compression) for your condition. If you're given a prescription, the socks should be covered by your medical insurance.

The doctor will also advise you of the length of time you should be wearing the socks and what the best way to put them on may be for you. Sometimes, because they're somewhat tight, some people have difficulty getting them on. However, if you're older and anticipate this challenge, there may be devices to help you or even someone to come into your home to ensure they're fitted properly. 

What Else Can You Do For Your Edema?

Along with compression socks, your physician may prescribe a diuretic medicine to help your body eliminate more fluid, but beyond that, basic diet and exercise recommendations should be followed. As much as you're able and advised, exercise every day. Eat a well-balanced diet that's low in the salt that can lead to fluid retention, along with enjoying fresh and natural foods, especially those known to improve blood circulation.

Edema might be a slight nuisance, or it could be a distinct and dangerous threat, but either way, knee-high compression socks should help. They'll help improve your circulation, reduce swelling, and may very well save your life.