Compressana

Compressana is a German manufacturer of medical compression stockings, support hosiery and related products used in the care of vein and lymphatic conditions. The brand was created in 1962 by the hosiery maker ELBEO and became a company in its own right, Compressana GmbH, in 1994 [2]. It is based in Neutraubling, Germany, and describes itself as part of the worldwide network of Juzo, a manufacturer of medical knitted fabrics [3].

Its products sit closer to medical supplies than to cosmetics, yet the company presents them in the language of fashion as much as therapy. The slogan on its website, "Strumpfmode mit Wirkung" (roughly, "hosiery fashion that works"), sums up that approach, and the range extends to a line of skincare made for skin that spends long hours under compression. The brand remains active.

Compressana was not started by an individual founder but by a company. Its roots, as the company tells the story, reach back to 1748, when a hosiery business trading as L.B.O (for Louis Bahner, Oberlungwitz, in Saxony) began producing stockings. Compressana describes this predecessor as the oldest hosiery manufactory in the world [2]. Towards the end of the 18th century the initials L.B.O were written out phonetically, and the business became known as ELBEO.

ELBEO developed its first support stockings in 1959. Three years later, in 1962, it founded Compressana as a separate brand for medical compression stockings. According to the company, the new brand went on to earn a good reputation for support and compression stockings that were both attractive and comfortable, while ELBEO itself continued as a name in women's fashion hosiery.

The company's own history offers two possible starting dates. The brand dates from 1962, while the business as a legal entity dates from 1994, when the brand was spun off from ELBEO [2]. This article follows 1962, the year Compressana itself counts from; it marked its 50th anniversary in 2012 as "50 years of products for compression therapy".

The 1994 spin-off turned a product label into a company. Compressana GmbH, subtitled "products for compression therapy", was set up with the stated aim of offering one of the most comprehensive ranges of hosiery from a preventive and medical point of view. The company sums up the period since then as an "assortment with system": a range that grew to twelve compression lines, both flat-knit and circular-knit, covering the legs, arms, hands, fingers and toes.

By 2016 Compressana belonged to the trade body of its industry. The December 2016 self-presentation of eurocom, the European manufacturers' federation for compression therapy and orthopaedic devices, lists Compressana GmbH among its members, alongside Julius Zorn GmbH [7]. eurocom was founded in 1998 as an association of compression-therapy manufacturers active in the German and European markets and later widened its remit to orthopaedic aids.

In more recent years the company has announced a steady run of product and service updates. Its news page lists the launch of the COMPRESSANA IMPACT stocking, new "functional zones" at the instep and elbow meant to improve comfort and reduce skin irritation, a TAPE LOOP for the thumb, a set of trend colours, and the LIFESTYLE PIQUÉ stocking, presented as new in its lifestyle range [6]. The same page announces a relaunched website and the introduction of the BodyLux 3D scanning system, which measures customers for compression garments digitally.

Compressana states that it is part of the worldwide Juzo network [2]. The company describes Juzo as one of the leading manufacturers in the medical sector, with more than 100 years of experience, and says that Juzo produces knitted fabrics for professional medical use in its factories, including for Compressana. The Compressana website links to Juzo, which trades as Julius Zorn GmbH and is based in Aichach, Germany [7].

The company does not state the size of Juzo's stake or when the relationship began. Compressana GmbH is registered with the district court in Regensburg, and its legal notice names Bernd Siegwardt as managing director.

Compressana presents itself as a maker of compression and support stockings and tights in which medical effect, wearing comfort and fashion "go hand in hand", with the stated goal of "healthy and beautiful legs". That pairing of medicine and style runs through the range, from prescription compression garments to fine support tights sold on their looks.

The company sets out four principles. The first is individuality: different people need different stockings, so the range comes in many shapes, colours and special versions. The second is safety, which the company links to a tested sizing system combining made-to-measure garments with six standard sizes in several lengths, each designed to deliver a defined pressure profile. The third is a quality standard it calls "longlife – doppelt hält besser" (roughly, "double holds better"), which refers to yarns wrapped twice for durability. The fourth is a guarantee: Compressana says it replaces support and compression products free of charge for six months from purchase, provided they have been handled and sized correctly.

The core of the range is medical compression hosiery. Compressana offers ready-made circular-knit stockings, custom flat-knit garments and special designs, and says these are used for conditions such as venous leg ulcers, lymphoedema (swelling caused by fluid build-up) and lipoedema (an abnormal build-up of fat, usually in the legs). For the first, decongestion phase of swelling treatment, it sells what it calls medically adaptive compression systems and bandaging aids, along with a dedicated system for leg ulcers.

The company describes the COMPRESSANA IMPACT as the strongest stocking in its circular-knit range, intended for complex cases and high medical demands. It is knitted with a soft plush layer on the inside for comfort. At the other end of the spectrum, the LIFESTYLE line treats compression as everyday wear: the LIFESTYLE PIQUÉ uses a two-tone waffle-textured fabric and comes in two strengths and four colour combinations. A set of trend colours is also offered in several of the brand's medical qualities.

For prevention rather than treatment, Compressana sells fine support stockings from 40 to 140 denier, functional support stockings, travel stockings and sports compression stockings made with natural and high-performance fibres. Its SPORT FIR garments are described as heat-reflecting knits with infrared technology; the company claims the fibres convert the body's own energy into infrared warmth that can improve skin structure and have a revitalising effect [1].

Several product lines go beyond stockings. TAPE SOX and TAPE LOOPS are socks and loops that, according to Compressana, combine the benefits of physiotherapy and kinesio taping to counter misalignments of the foot [1]. The COMPRESSANA INTRA line consists of special stockings, socks and toe pieces that act as an under-layer and fixing system for wound and skin care, including in combination with compression products. The COMPRESSANA SKIN CARE line offers care products designed for the particular needs of skin under compression therapy. Accessories include donning aids, stocking gloves and products for washing and storing garments.

Compressana says its products are made almost exclusively in Europe, largely by traditional craft methods: medical compression stockings, health socks and accessories mainly in Germany, and support stockings in Italy [2]. The company adds that its materials and processes have been tested for effectiveness by recognised institutes and are safe for direct skin contact.

The brand lists three quality marks it is entitled to carry [5]. Its medical compression stockings, support stockings and health socks bear the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 label, an independent testing system for harmful substances in textiles. Its quality management system is certified to ISO 13485, the international standard for medical-device manufacturers. Its medical compression stockings also meet the German RAL quality requirements, which set rules on materials, regular testing, elastic properties and the four compression classes. The company notes that meeting the RAL requirements is a basic condition for these stockings to be prescribed at the expense of health insurance in Germany.

Under the EU Medical Device Regulation, Compressana's compression stockings, bandages and donning aids are classed as risk class I, the lowest category, which allows the company to declare their conformity itself [5].

Compressana sells mainly through pharmacies and specialist medical-supply retailers, supported by a list of distribution partners on its website. It also points customers to online shops for consumers and runs a separate online portal for the trade. Around the products, the company operates a training programme: seminars on compression therapy, held in person, online and in blended formats, are led by speakers trained as medical-device advisers. Measurements taken with the BodyLux 3D scanning system can be imported directly into the trade portal. The website is published in German with an English version.

Compressana is an active company. Its website carries a 2025 copyright notice, and its news page presents recent launches such as the LIFESTYLE PIQUÉ as new additions to the range. The company continues to run its trade portal and seminar programme.

Two addresses in Neutraubling are associated with the business. The current legal notice gives Böhmerwaldstraße 3 [4], while eurocom's December 2016 member list gave Pommernstraße 1a [7]. Both place the company in the same town.