Solaris is a compression competitor with a few unique aspects. For one, they are based in the United States. For another, they sell a readymade flat-knit garment. And last, they were founded by a therapist who treated lymphedema patients. Who better to understand patient needs than a therapist?

Located in Wisconsin, Kathy Weatherly (occupational therapist) opened Solaris in 1998 when she was looking for products which made bandaging easier & were more useful for her patients. She came up with the Tribute night garment & then developed the Readywrap & other product lines they make today. Kathy is still active in her company, providing support to DME providers & educating others about lymphedema.

Products include day & night sleeves, bandaging sleeves, Velcro options, hose/sleeves & fibrosis aids. Most products can be readymade or custom. The major lines are:

• Tribute (night compression sleeve with compression)
  • Special pricing for clients under 14 years of age
• Caresia (bandage sleeve without compression used to reduce layers & steps in bandaging)
• Readywrap (Velcro compression)
  • For leg/arm swelling
  • A unique foot piece with has individual toe compression
• Exo (hose/sleeves)
  • ExoStrong (readymade flat-knit)
  • ExoSheer (circular-knit)
  • ExoSoft (circular-knit)
  • ExoFusion (providing foot compression only in the form of a knee-high sock)
• Swell Spots (fibrosis aids for all areas of the body)

Find out more at www.solarismed.com/products or visit www.ltscompression.com.

Medi sells a variety of compression, orthotics & prosthetics, making them a competitor to Jobst-BSN Medical.  Medi began in 1920 in Pausa, Saxony (Germany) by Albert Weihermuller & Berthold Voigtmann. They developed their first seamless elastic stocking in 1964 & continued their innovation a few years later with additional creations.  In 1982, Medi made its way to the United States & founded Medi USA.  As for compression, they not only have their original lines of Mediven but also added Circaid (for lymphedema & venous disorders), CEP (for athletes) & ITEM m6 (for fashion compression wear).  For our purposes, we will focus on their Ready to wear, Custom & Velcro options (of Mediven & Circaid).

In the Ready to Wear department, they have sleeves & several stocking lines as well as a dual-layer compression for those with wounds.

For Custom, they have a rare fit guarantee (they’ll remake a garment until it fits properly).  They have a line with zinc for anti-bacterial properties & one with silver.

For Velcro, they sell Circaid which has a couple lines that cover both the lower & upper extremities.  One such line is Juxtafit which has a unique feature – compression for the thigh & knee in one piece.  Few (if any) competitors offer a full, seamless compression option transitioning from the knee up (reducing gaps in compression sometimes caused by separate pieces).

Last but not least, they have a selection of donning aids like the Butler (which comes in numerous options), the Butler Off doffing aid & gloves which can make putting on & taking off medical compression easier.

Find out more at www.mediusa.com or visit www.ltscompression.com.