Abstract:

Objective Medical compression garments have been widely used in adjunctive treatment of post-burn scars, lymphedema, and lipedema. With advancements in treatment methods and technology, the research focus has shifted toward improving comfort of the garments while ensuring necessary therapeutic pressure. Enhancing comfort is crucial for increasing patient compliance with medical compression garments, thereby improving treatment outcomes. This study aims to develop a seamless medical compression sleeve using natural silk/spandex covered yarns and to optimize the knitting parameters for improved mechanical properties and comfort level.

Method The seamless medical compression sleeves were fabricated using natural silk/spandex covered yarns, utilizing a plain stitch pad structure (pad ratio of 1∶3). Key knitting parameters, including the initial modulus of the pad yarn, the fineness of the ground yarn core yarn, and the yarn feeding tension, were adjusted to produce the sleeves. The mechanical properties of the compression sleeves were tested, and the optimal manufacturing parameters were selected. A comparative analysis was conducted with commercial products to assess the influence of these parameters on the comfort and garment pressure of the compression sleeves.

Results The results revealed that the fabricated samples exhibited a high elastic recovery rate 87%, a low stress relaxation rate 8%, and excellent fatigue resistance, indicating superior mechanical properties. In terms of comfort, sample 17 demonstrated remarkable permeability, with a value of (371.89±18.80) L/(m²·s), significantly higher than the standard value. Sample 6 showed a comprehensive moisture management performance score of 4 points, categorizing it as very good. Furthermore, the anti-static performance of the samples was rated as good to excellent, ensuring that the sleeves do not accumulate static charge during wear, which enhances user comfort and safety. For garment pressure tests, the fabricated samples successfully met the varying compression requirements of medical compression garments, indicating their suitability for therapeutic use. These findings demonstrate that the optimized knitting parameters not only improve the mechanical performance of the compression sleeves but also significantly enhance their comfort. These findings demonstrate that while different samples excelled in specific aspects such as breathability and moisture man-agement by combining the optimal parameters from each, it is feasible to create a single compression sleeve that integrates these superior properties.

Conclusion This study highlights the importance of optimizing knitting parameters to develop medical compression garments that combine therapeutic efficacy with superior comfort. The natural silk/spandex covered yarns are employed to produce compression sleeves that meet the necessary mechanical requirements while offering enhanced permeability, moisture management, and anti-static performance. These properties are critical for improving patient compliance, as comfortable compression garments are more likely to be worn consistently, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the treatment. The successful comparison with commercial products suggests that the developed sleeves could be a promising alternative to available medical compression garments, with wide potential applications in the treatment of various conditions requiring compression therapy. Further research could explore the long-term durability and patient feedback to refine the design and ensure its practical utility in clinical settings.

Key words: compression sleeve, silk, covered yarn, garment pressure, comfort, medical pressure garment