Active compression therapy by IPC does not
only exert the required pressure to the leg at the
correct gradient but also mimics rhythmic
muscle contractions in a situation in which such
active movements are restricted or entirely
absent. IPC can be used either alone on the limb
or over compression hosiery or compression
bandages. The haemodynamic consequences
that can be measured are comparable to those
in a walking individual (7,20). The beneficial
effects of IPC have been shown in multiple
experiments (21), and examples of the data
demonstrating changes of physiological parameters
are summarised in Table 1. The experimental
set-ups including the IPC systems used
showed a wide variation so that only approximate
main results are given