Reduce pain with compression



Ellen Böhm’s day can only begin once she has put on her compression garments. She suffers from pain and edema but feels much freer and more mobile with the VenoTrain curaflow.

“When I’ve been wearing the gloves for a while and then I take them off, my boyfriend always says my hands look like crinkle-cut chips,” says Ellen Böhm and laughs. The fine grooves on her skin come from her VenoTrain curaflow compression product, which she wears because she has lipedema with secondary lymphedema. The longitudinal structure of the knitted fabric creates visible drainage channels for the lymphatic fluid, thus supporting treatment. Ellen doesn’t just wear compression products on her hands, but her legs, arms and thorax are being treated with black and berry-colored compression garments, too. The 29-year-old accepts it with humor and is relieved that she has finally found good products after many years of testing: “I never want anything else apart from the VenoTrain curaflow.”

Her journey was not exactly straightforward but started as early as her childhood and youth, with the constant subliminal criticism of being overweight. But as disciplined as she may have been, Ellen’s legs in particular steadily increased in circumference over the years, and she also suffered from serious pain in her entire body. An office-based rheumatologist eventually diagnosed her with stage 1–2 lipedema, in addition to fibromyalgia. At that point, she was merely in her mid-20s. As a trained orthotist, she was familiar with compression and her first step was to have stockings fitted. “That was an immediate sensation of relief. I was finally able to walk again without the extreme pain in my thighs,” she remembers.

When pursuing her favorite hobby of hiking, however, she noticed more and more often that her upper arms and hands started to swell over time. A phlebologist then prescribed arm and hand compression garments. In addition to lipedema, she now also suffers from lymphedema. “Getting used to the gloves was quite something at the beginning,” the young woman reports. When the seamless glove was launched, it was real “game changer” for Ellen that changed hand compression completely. It allows much more mobility, without affecting hand function: when she needs her finger tips, for example during her hobbies like diamond painting or other crafting activities, she pulls the finger compression back a little without having to doff the glove. Ellen really appreciates the benefits of compression products. This also applies to the thorax¹. Last year, she was given a T-shirt as an alternative to gloves and arm sleeves so she could do without the arm compression at work. “A positive side effect of the T-shirt is that it relieves my back and shoulders. I have significantly less pain in the thoracic spine than with a bra. Plus, you feel much freer and less restricted,” she explains.

Noticeably softer tissue

Flat knit products have become part of Ellen’s life. She wears them up to 15 hours per day. It was her therapist who noticed the first positive changes in the tissue resulting from wearing the VenoTrain curaflow. “During lymphatic drainage, she mentioned that my thighs were particularly soft and she noticed a significant difference. Thanks to the VenoTrain curaflow, hardened tissue disappeared,” the young women reports. Ellen realized all the benefits the material can trigger, not least in her feet. “I’ve been noticing improvements at the instep, especially in the summer. My foot is slimmer,” she says summarizing her experience. At the moment, she also has a pad integrated at the lateral malleolus: “That’s a real relief, too.”

What Ellen likes about the products is that they offer so many customization options. In her case, she received a two-part product consisting of thigh-high stockings with an anatomical foot and cycling shorts that are adapted to her body shape. All bodies and manifestations are different, but individual requirements can be met using various additional features. For the first time, Ellen’s next prescription will include rounded toes because her feet have changed. She believes that physicians should be much more open when it comes to compression, and they should find out and try out more. “I feel so much better when I wear compression garments. I’m in less pain. Nothing bad can come of it,” she says – if everything fits properly and there are no contraindications.

Staying active

Compression, physiotherapy and weekly lymphatic drainage – that is not enough for the young woman. In addition, she pursues active self-management to get her symptoms under control as best as possible. This includes an exercise program, for example, on her exercise program bike or whilst sitting down with instructions from YouTube videos. The freedom of movement the VenoTrain curaflow gives her really fills her with excitement: “The material moves like a second skin. There is no constriction, no slipping.” She has already downloaded the curaflow app, where a movement mentor guides her through special exercises to stimulate lymph flow. Several times a week, she also uses a device at home for intermittent lymph therapy. And even though she does not like creams, she uses Bauerfeind’s care foam². She has noticed that it makes her skin feel like velvet.

Of course, weight loss is always an issue. In this respect, she encourages patients not to be dismissed by physicians with the advice to simply lose a few kilos. “A skilled eye can see clearly whether excess weight is caused by lipedema,” she has learned. Even though Ellen has lost mobility over the years, partly because of her condition that also includes migraines and endometriosis now: she remains optimistic and tries to master her life with discipline, openness to new things and self-initiative – but she is also happy to ask for professional help. “You have to try everything,” she points out, “the main thing is that it makes you feel better.” For now, she is looking forward to her new compression product, for which she has chosen a new, fresh color: Flashy Papaya.

Images: Udo Schönewald

1. Thorax products are not available in all countries. ↩︎
2. Bauerfeind’s care foam is not available in all countries ↩︎