Good-bye slippage - a new fusion to tackle bandage slippage on the foot

Journal article, 2018

stockings is the cornerstone and golden standard in the prevention and treatment of chronic venous leg diseases. A common problem related to compression treatment with bandages is slippage at and around the foot and heel. Stiff bandages in particular tend to cause slippage due to reduction in
limb size during compression treatment, and the inherent inability of the material to recover post-stretch. Bandage slippage can create local highpressure areas that may cause tissue damage and even necrosis. The use of stockings can often reduce this risk of slippage. Moreover, stockings are typically less bulky, help to preserve ankle range of motion, and permit patients to wear normal footwear. However, stockings can be tricky to don, especially when ulcers are involved. An optimal solution for indications that are best treated with bandages on lower extremities seems to be a compression sock on the foot and a bandage on the leg. The transition from sock to bandage, however, must be seamless in order to provide proper compression treatment. Furthermore, the combination needs to be easy to apply, and the transition from sock to bandage must not create local high- or low-pressure zones on the ankle. In order to control pressure at the transition, both the sock and bandage need to have well-defined pressures, which cannot be affected by the applier’s experience or the patient’s leg size or shape. The need for consistency in contact pressure rules out traditional bandages as they are prone to exert extreme variations
in applied pressure.