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Compression garments for lymphedema
Compression is what keeps the gains from treatment from slipping away. This guide covers the main types of compression, why fitting matters, how to get a garment on without a fight, how to care for it, and how to tell when yours has stopped doing its job.
Bandaging first
Short-stretch bandages are used in the intensive phase, while your limb is still changing size.
Garments to maintain
Fitted sleeves, stockings, gloves, and wraps hold your results day to day.
Fit is the treatment
A garment that doesn’t fit properly isn’t neutral — it can make swelling worse.
Types
More than stockings
Compression bandaging — layered short-stretch bandages applied by (or taught by) your therapist during Phase 1 of CDT. Bandages can be re-wrapped as your limb shrinks, which a fixed garment can’t do.
Ready-to-wear garments — sleeves, stockings, gloves/gauntlets, and toe caps in standard sizes, for limbs that fit standard measurements.
Custom / flat-knit garments — made to your measurements, often used when shape, size, or tissue changes make standard garments fit poorly.
Adjustable wraps — Velcro-style wraps you can tighten yourself. Useful when your size fluctuates, or when grip strength or reach makes pulling a garment on difficult.
Nighttime garments — softer, padded garments worn while you sleep, designed differently from daytime compression.
Your therapist chooses the type, style, and compression level for your stage and your limb. That choice is a prescription, not a preference — don’t substitute a sports sleeve or a drugstore support stocking and assume it’s doing the same work.
Fitting
Measured, not guessed
A proper fitting takes measurements at several points on the limb, usually when swelling is at its most reduced — often right after the intensive phase. That’s why timing matters: a garment ordered for a swollen limb will be loose within weeks.
- Too loose: it slides, bunches, and doesn’t control swelling
- Too tight or poorly shaped: it can create a tourniquet effect, trap fluid, and damage skin
- Wrong shape for your limb: fluid collects above or below the garment
If your garment leaves deep marks that don’t fade, causes numbness, colour change, increased pain, or new swelling above it, take it off and contact your therapist — don’t just push through.
Getting it on
The part nobody warns you about
Putting a garment on is the #1 reason people quietly stop wearing theirs. Ask your therapist to watch you do it once — technique fixes most of it.
Donning checklist
- Put it on first thing, when swelling is lowest
- Skin clean, dry, and moisturised the night before (not slippery)
- Use donning gloves for grip — they also protect the fabric from nails
- Turn it partway inside-out and work it up gradually; don’t yank from the top band
- Smooth out every wrinkle — wrinkles concentrate pressure
- Ask about a donning aid or an adjustable wrap if grip, reach, or arthritis is the barrier
Care
Make it last
Follow the care instructions that came with your garment — they vary by maker. In general: wash regularly (sweat, lotion, and skin oils break down elastic), use mild detergent, avoid fabric softener and high heat, and air-dry flat. Having two garments to rotate extends the life of both, and means you’re never without compression on laundry day.
When to replace
Signs yours has stopped working
- It goes on noticeably easier than it used to
- It slips, rolls, or bunches during the day
- The fabric looks stretched, thin, or has lost its snap
- Your swelling is creeping back even though you’re wearing it
- Your limb’s size or shape has changed since you were measured
Elastic wears out with daily use, so every garment has a working life. Ask your therapist how long yours is expected to last and when you should be re-measured — and get checked sooner if any sign above appears. A worn-out garment is a common, fixable reason for a setback in self-care.
Oklahoma: request an evaluation Texas: request an evaluationEducational information only — not medical advice for your specific situation. Compression type and level should be set by your treating therapist.