Reduction in the soles of graduated compression stockings prevents falls without reducing the preventive effect for venous stasis

- Graduated compression stockings (GCS) are slippery owing to the synthetic fibers.
- Innovative sole designs might be useful for falls prevention.
- Less slip occurred with an open GCS heel and toe on the mannequin foot model.
- There was no negative effect on venous stasis prevention as evaluated using Doppler.

IntroductionGraduated compression stockings (GCS) are widely used to prevent venous thromboembolism; however, GCS are slippery and a fall hazard owing to the synthetic fibers. Therefore, we investigated whether changing the sole's shape decreased slipping.Materials and MethodsWe designed four GCS types with varying sole shapes and normal slipperiness to compare with normal GCS and a barefoot model without GCS (control). A mannequin foot with a GCS type or the control was placed on a ramp at 0°, and the angle was slowly increased. When the mannequin foot had moved ≥ 100% from the original position, the angle of slide-out (AS) was measured, and the forward and backward AS values were compared. Next, we investigated whether sole modification influenced the effectiveness of the normal GCS for preventing venous stasis. The same GCS type (Torenka) was given to 30 healthy volunteers. Peak systolic velocities (PSV) of the popliteal vein prior to wearing GCS and 20 and 40 min after wearing GCS were measured using Doppler ultrasound, and the changes were compared with those of the normal GCS.ResultsOnly the AS of the GCS type with the smallest sole area (Torenka) was not significantly different from the control's AS, which was significantly larger than the normal GCS' AS. Normal and Torenka GCS resulted in significantly increased PSV after 20 and 40 min compared with no GCS, with no significant difference between the two groups.ConclusionTorenka-type GCS were the least slippery but were as effective as normal GCS for venous stasis.