Aching legs and feet... Advice?

Nurses Uniform/Gear

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Yes, yes. I know it's been discussed on other threads but I couldn't find helpful advice. I'm in my second semester of an ASN proram and they moved us up to 8 hour shifts in acute care for our clinicals. I bought a good pair of shoes (New Balance) and even went out and got a pair of those Rockers compression hose. I tried the hose out for the first time today and it felt like they did less for me than even my regular hose! I come home from clinicals and have to take something for the pain and then put my feet up for an hour or so before I feel up to doing anything else.

I know working as a nurse on my feet all day is not going to be easy on the lower extremities (or anything else for that matter!) - but I was wondering if anybody had any good advice for me so I can work on this now and not in 2 years when I'm actually on a floor full time.

If anybody knows of any REALLY good support hose or tricks for avoiding some of the pain... I've been looking over other threads for advice on better shoes, but a lot of people seem to recommend the New Balance, so I'm kind of stuck there...

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me!

Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

Regarding compression hose: Nurse Mates makes some knee highs that should be burned, not worn. I bought a package of those (on sale, thought I'd try it) and by the middle of one shift I had cut little notches into both the bands at the tops of them, threw them AND the unworn pair in the trash as soon as I got home. Problem? The band at the top was MUCH tighter than the rest of the garment. I may as well have tied two tourniquets around my knees and tried to work in that. Just a friendly warning about those hose. The intent is not supposed to be to cut off circulation entirely.

My favorite sock things so far are "SuppSocks" and I find them at various uniform stores, around four-ish dollars a pair. Mild compression, doesn't hurt, the spandex in all of mine are still good though the ones I've had since the start of nursing school is a little looser than the new ones. During summer my legs might feel a bit warm until I start working and forget about it. I haven't tried TED hose yet.

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Specializes in Interventional Cardiology, MICU.

DANSKO's

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Specializes in ICU, ED, Transport, Home Care, Mgmnt.

I used to wear the new balance shoes but they didn't completely stop my foot pain. I tried the Crocs and love them, no more pain. There has been a lot of good advice, you need to find out what will work for you. ONe thing I realized over the years, it wasn't the walking that caused me problems it was the standing in one place for long periods of time, move around and sit when you can.

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Regarding compression hose: Nurse Mates makes some knee highs that should be burned, not worn. I bought a package of those (on sale, thought I'd try it) and by the middle of one shift I had cut little notches into both the bands at the tops of them, threw them AND the unworn pair in the trash as soon as I got home. Problem? The band at the top was MUCH tighter than the rest of the garment. I may as well have tied two tourniquets around my knees and tried to work in that. Just a friendly warning about those hose. The intent is not supposed to be to cut off circulation entirely.

My favorite sock things so far are "SuppSocks" and I find them at various uniform stores, around four-ish dollars a pair. Mild compression, doesn't hurt, the spandex in all of mine are still good though the ones I've had since the start of nursing school is a little looser than the new ones. During summer my legs might feel a bit warm until I start working and forget about it. I haven't tried TED hose yet.

I didn't even wait until I got home to throw those support hose in the trash. After 2 hours I went to the BR and ripped them off!

I did find a pair of WONDERFUL support hose but I wore them out and have not been able to find another pair. I think you just need to try several brands to find a good pair. I did try TEDS but found that they didn't help.

I currently wear Crocs and my feet don't hurt as much. I can deal with tired legs it's the pain I can't handle. I agree with another post that it's worse to stand in one place than it is to walk around.

I wish there was a simple answer to your problem. Keep trying different brands of shoes and support hose.

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Z-Coils!

I swear by these shoes. I work 12 hour days, am 52 years old, a new nurse, and when I wear these shoes, I have no foot, leg, or knee pain.

http://www.zcoil.com

I know they look strange, but they work.

Oldiebutgoodie

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Specializes in OB, ortho/neuro, home care, office.

foot/leg pain = crocs

back pain = j.rubios (same as zcoils but cheaper)

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A couple of things come to mind:

When I was younger and working 8 hour shifts, my feet, legs and back would be killing me at the end of a shift. After a 15 year lay-off, I'm now doing 12 hour shifts with little or no pain.

Obviously it's not joint age making the difference. I went to a store that sells shoes to ultra-marathoners and had them check out my feet, stride, weight, etc. and bought the running shoes they recommended. Also, I now have a professional trainer (I know... it's a luxury...) who has helped me strengthen specific muscle groups. I'm am the oldest nurse on our unit and I still have snap in my legs and feet when younger gals are wilting.

But, if anyone is having serious pain after a normal day's work, I believe they should consult with their physician before blowing it off as something trivial.

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foot/leg pain = crocs

back pain = j.rubios (same as zcoils but cheaper)

I just plopped the j.rubios shoes into a search engine and didn't find nuthin. Ya got a website for them?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I say forget some hose product made for nurses, go for real graduted compression hose. I buy mine a healthylegs.com, moderate compression from Sigvaris, and my legs never ache or feel heavy after a long clinical. I started wearing them for pregnancy, but now I wear them just in general (the non preg style, obviously). They're also great because a single pair can last for months.

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
I say forget some hose product made for nurses, go for real graduted compression hose. I buy mine a healthylegs.com, moderate compression from Sigvaris, and my legs never ache or feel heavy after a long clinical. I started wearing them for pregnancy, but now I wear them just in general (the non preg style, obviously). They're also great because a single pair can last for months.

I have to agree with this. Between Jobst compression hose and Birkenstocks my feet/legs feel GREAT after a 12 hour shift.

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I work for a Vein Clinic that treats varicose and spider veins. I control the ultrasound. Perhaps you have an underlying venous insuffiency problem. Or it could just be a long day at work. We recommend our patients wearing compression hose: thigh high or panty. Minumum of 16-20 weight compression. Just a thought....

Many people think varicose veins have to be "visual" or have a ropey appearance to be classified varicose. This is far from the truth. Generally you can't see them without an ultrasound.;)

BTW we use Medi brand hose.

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Do you wear regular socks over your hose. I debate what to do with my mine. Any thoughts? :)

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