Do you wear some type of support for your legs to prevent leg cramps?

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Wondering if anyone wears some type of support on their legs. I've been getting some leg cramps in the middle of the night after working and my legs hurt after a couple shifts. If you do, what do you wear and where did you buy them?? TIA

Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

I keep up on my potassium to keep cramping down, and LOL...okay well I wear my hubbys socks. They are the long ones and I get them out of the dryer before he does when they are nice and tight...work perfectly for me...just a bit of compression but far from uncomfortable! Whatever works ya know ;).

My boss insists on vit E..but I don't have much to back that up on. I used it for 3 years and saw no difference.

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Check out FOOT SMART--they have cotton knee high support socks that are very comfortable.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I just bought some support socks from nursemates and I love them. I was given the sage advice by an older nurse to always wear support socks to prevent vericose veins. I do not know if this is true or not but I do know that when I wear regular socks I can feel the difference.

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Specializes in Trauma acute surgery, surgical ICU, PACU.

Anybody with really bad leg cramps, I would recommend going to see a podiatrist or foot clinic to see if custom orthotics might help. I wear moulded orthotics inside my shoes, and it has made a world of difference!

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

My leg cramps were caused by defiencies in calcium and potassium. Might want to get a work-up before purcahsing socks and see if some sort of imbalance is to blame, first.

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

Not quite sure how they work yet, but Motherhood Maternity has compression trouser socks, so I'm not stuck with white hose all the time. My ankles are huge! -Andrea

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Bad spellers of the world...UNTIE!

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I am just wondering if you are a new nurse or have not been working lately because I think it takes time to get your legs hardened up again. But for myself I wear one over the varicose viens on one leg. Don't like it but the standing at the med cart. Well, just can't get around it, can we? I wear a TED because I got some from somewhere. And yeah, they are going on 5 years old. Of course I only work 2 days a week and have several stockings. I tried more glamorous stockings with the toes in but I felt that my toes were in a vise so frequently one toe just stick out. You get used to it.

As far as cramps, I am sure you know about the dehydration, electrolyte imbalance angle.

One other thing I do after my workday is to have a warm bath soaking my legs which is good for circulation and probably relaxes the muscles. I know my legs feel much better after.

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Oh yes! Oh yes! your bylines are wonderful

Out here in the boonies of New England.... yeah! bacteria.

And as transplant from Europe, citylife, I see it.... I am it now.

And my spelling, Oh weill.

I just shared with my daughter a CNA... she laughed!!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg- Risk Mgmt.

TED hose every day! I wear a short sock over that and it covers those pesky holes in the toes. I like knee high and swear by them for over 22 years. I also have to buy new shoes (padded athletic type) fairly frequently- like every 4 months or so. If I forget the TEDs boy are my dogs barking within a few hours!

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I had bad varicose veins since I was a teenager. Wore only plain support hose under scrubs for years.

The I had vein stripping and went to TED's and JC Penney total support hose for years.

Abandoned the TED's for Nursemates support socks a few years ago and within 2 years the bad veins were BACK, so I had stab plhlebectomies for those.

Now I wear JC Penney total support hose, they are much BETTER than the prescription hose my dr ordered for me.

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Specializes in OR.

I wear support hose some of the time and I also have compression socks that I got at TJ Maxx for 1.99 a pair!(they were originally 10.00). Both of these things help greatly-I notice a difference when I don't wear them. I also invest money in good shoes-I figure I don't have to buy uniforms, so I don't wear cheap shoes because my feet complain if I do..

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