Long COVID Atlas › Glossary › Compression garments
ManagementCompression garments
https://longcovidatlas.org/glossary/compression-garments
In plain language
What it is
Snug elastic garments worn on the legs, and often over the belly, that squeeze gently to stop blood from pooling low in the body when you stand.
Why it matters
Blood pooling in the legs and abdomen on standing is part of what drives the racing heart and dizziness of POTS and orthostatic intolerance. Compression pushes that blood back toward the heart, so it is one of the first and lowest-risk measures to try.
Think of it like
A hand squeezing a half-empty tube from the bottom, moving what has settled low back up to where the body needs it.
For specialists
Formal definition
Graduated elastic compression, usually waist-high garments in roughly the 20 to 30 mmHg range, with abdominal and splanchnic coverage adding the most benefit for orthostatic intolerance.
Mechanism
External pressure on the legs and abdominal vessels reduces venous pooling on standing, which raises venous return and stroke volume, so the heart needs less of a rate rise to keep blood flowing to the brain.
Sources
- Autonomic dysfunction in long COVID, reviewing supportive orthostatic measures (Sci Rep 2021) free full text ›
- POTS after COVID-19: a systematic review of therapeutic interventions, recording compression stockings among standard nonpharmacologic measures (J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2023) PubMed ›