![]() This research is studying the use of compression garments in POTS to help minimize blood pooling, and in turn lower heart rate and symptoms. I am currently conducting a clinical trial to understand more about how compression garments work. Compression garments vary in terms of the strength of compression (measured in mmHg) and style, including socks, shorts and waist high tights. The sympathetic nervous system reduces its activity and heart rate slows down.Īlthough compression garments are commonly prescribed for people with POTS, there is no research in an adult POTS population demonstrating how they work, and as well, which type of garment is best to manage POTS symptoms and lower heart rate. Once the heart is getting enough blood, it doesn’t have to beat as fast to try and keep up with the body’s demands. ![]() When applied to the body, they exert a force which pumps the pooled blood in the legs and abdomen back up to the heart. What if we could intervene and mimic the squeezing of blood vessels with an external garment? If we can provide mechanical squeezing to the abdomen and lower body, helping blood get back to the heart, then the heart doesn’t have to work as hard. However, in individuals with POTS we think there is still too much blood that is collecting in the abdomen and legs and not getting back to the heart. In a healthy person, when the sympathetic nervous system is activated, blood vessels in the body squeeze to get blood back to the heart. The body’s response to standing is where the theory of compression garments comes into play. This leads to unpleasant and common POTS symptoms including lightheadedness, dizziness, shaking, chest pain and nausea. An abnormal amount of blood collects, or pools, in the abdomen and legs, and blood does not get back to the heart very efficiently. However, in a person with POTS, the body’s ability to regulate this response to standing is disrupted. ![]() When a healthy person stands up, they may experience a brief increase in heart rate, or decrease in blood pressure, but this usually isn’t noticeable because the body quickly adapts to the positional change. The body detects these changes and activates the “fight or flight” response, or sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, to increase heart rate and squeeze the blood vessels in the body to help blood get back to the heart. This is a problem because the heart is not able to pump blood as effectively to the body. As a result, there is less blood getting back to the heart. When a person stands up, gravity pulls blood from the upper chest down into the abdomen and legs. Compression garments are a common treatment for individuals with POTS, but why are they recommended, and how exactly do they work? ![]()
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