how are people managing elbow / knee creases?

[norberte]

any tips for managing the dreaded inner-elbow crease? i can't find a way of wearing sleeves without the inner elbows getting creased & pink (red in the summer) - i know i'll need to move over to made to measure sleeve-glove combo's at some point, but want to leave that till i've had some more surgery next year

my lovely local team have suggested putting cotton wool pads under the sleeve to pad the inner elbows a bit - if i can get the pad absolutely flat that's ok for a while, but then the cotton wool starts rucking up as well & makes things worse

i would imagine that the behind-the-knee crease is even harder to cope with

any ideas?

thanks

[Lruk]

No ideas that will help, but I will be watching for suggestions as the backs of my knees are so painful due to the same problem.

[norberte]

oooh, lruk, ouch!

i'm sure the rest of the gang'll be along to help us out soon

meanwhile i hope yours aren't misbehaving too much today

[xb3ckyx]

Hi, my son has lymphoedema in his hand and arm. He is only small as only 14 months old however we use layered bandaging for him and it works really well and doesn't crease. He had a glove measured for him but was almost impossible to wear as he is so small and his hand is like a boxing glove. We start with a silk glove, not made to measure, then use greenline to protect the skin, then layer with something like cotton wool. Then begin the bandaging. It doesn't crease at all. And it's comfortable for him.

[Lynora]

I would defo not use cotton wool. A couple of my clients had problems a while ago, mainly in the summer, and found that a folded silk square helped - but only temporarily! You may need to remeasured.

[norberte]

xb3ckyx - sorry to hear your little one's in the club

you sound v positive but i'm sure must have bad days so have a hug for the next time you're angry / sad / fed up

lynora - why no to cotton wool? this is a temporary (for a few months) thing cos i don't want to faff around trying to find sleeves that fit again before i have a bit more surgery & go into made to measure

i just want good-enough-for-now without adding to the daily routines too much (altho reading xb3ckyx's post, there's always someone you wouldn't want to swap with)

i'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that - the team locally are v experienced & said it'd be ok for now (but will find a bit of silk & try that)

thanks

[Lynora in reply to norberte]

Cotton wool becomes compacted when it is between two surfaces (garment/skin) and if it becomes moist, can cause friction and make any reddening worse. Do you have access to any compression foam? A shaped pad of thin compression foam at the elbow crease can help prevent rubbing - better still, if it's wrapped in a bit of silk or actifast.

[Rebec in reply to norberte]

I just happened to read your mail now. Could I ask what operation were you going to have and did you have it already?

[lovesradio]

Hi norberte

I have sleeve and glove - it's a Jobst sleeve and is comfier than the Mediven combined sleeve that I had before. It's not made to measure but it is a good fit. I had a lot of trouble with thumb web irritation with Mediven combined but none with current Sigvaris glove. So it might be the fabric of your sleeve and it might be worth asking your team if you can try another make. Good luck as I know how uncomfortable it can be.

[norberte]

thanks everyone

have got some bits of silk & some compression foam to try