A member asked:

Should you wear commercial (or non) compression socks/stockings to alleviate intermittent claudication in lower legs when running? help or hurt? progressed to running with less pain-but pace is slow.

8 doctors weighed in across 4 answers
Dr. Alvin Lin answered

No, neither: Compression stockings are useful to deal w/peripheral edema & decrease deep vein thrombosis (DVT) risk. However, they really don't have much effect on intermittent claudication which is a symptom of peripheral aterial/vascular disease (pad/pvd). There's more to treatment than i can fit here. Check out http://www.Mayoclinic.Com/health/peripheral-arterial-disease/ds00537 for more info.

Answered 6/30/2014

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Claudication: If you're able to run with PVD you're doing pretty durn well. Compression stockings are used for venous disease not arterial disease. They could actually give you a problem with exercise unless you also have venous disease.

Answered 9/20/2015

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Dr. Benjamin Lerner answered

Specializes in Vascular Surgery

Won't help: Commercial compression typically do not provide what we consider to be therapeutic compression for leg edema. While a lot of research is going into athletic performance with compression, if you have peripheral vascular disease, you want to be cautious with compression. I applaud your exuberance for exercise, though!

Answered 1/31/2015

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Claudication: if this is true claudication from arterial disease then compression stocking not advised

Answered 3/12/2017

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