Every morning, Britta Vander Linden dons compression stockings, a cumbersome process she calls “putting on my legs.” She relies on the garments to stand and walk without intense leg pain and swelling.

For the uninitiated, compression garments restrain your fat, thereby giving your body a thinner shape. The stretch fabric, spandex or lycra of which it is made squeezes the body that it surrounds.

From long flights to pregnancy and diabetes, many circumstances and conditions can cause pain and swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet. Enter compression socks and stockings — specially designed ...