Effect of walking on pressure variations that occur at the interface between elastic stockings and the skin.

The aim of this work was to dynamically study pressure variations exerted by elastic compression stockings during walking. While study participants walked, the pressure variations at the interface between elastic stockings and the skin were measured dynamically. Three healthy individuals wearing 10/20 and 20/30 elastic compression stockings manufactured by Sigvaris((R)) (Jundiai, São Paulo-Brazil) were requested to walk along a course for ten times at a constant speed. For every event, an apparatus specifically developed for the study and programmed to take readings at half-second intervals was used to measure the pressure exerted by the elastic stockings. The pressure exerted by the 10/20 stockings varied between 5 and 32 mmHg and for the 20/30 stockings it varied from 10 to 52 mmHg. Elastic stockings with larger pressures generate larger pressure variations during muscle activity (P-value < 0.001). In conclusion, muscle movements during walking cause the pressure exerted by elastic stockings on the leg to vary; thus, the pressure is not constant but has peaks and troughs according to the type of muscle movement and the gradient of the stockings.