Not too long ago, someone asked me whether the far infrared ray FIR compression pants from Japan is a medical grade garment.
To be honest, I wasn’t very sure of the answer and had to do some research online to find out.
I have been selling the FIR legging from Japan as my core product for my business since March 2018. The product brand owner has never claim the pants to be a medical grade garment.
How do you categories a garment as medical grade?
I found an interesting article published on the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
Inside the article, it talks about graduated compression stockings and there was one section on “How is the strength of compression graded?”.
Graduated compression stockings are classified according to the sub-bandage compression pressure applied by the garment at the ankle level. The pressures are determined by the manufacturer based on laboratory measurements.
The degree of pressure is classified into several standards. The classification are:
- Class 1 – Less than 20 mm Hg
- Class 2 – 20 – 30 mm Hg
- Class 3 – Greater than 30 mm Hg
What are the compression level exerted by the FIR pants from Japan?
Looking are the product catalog, the compression levels are:
- Ankle: 24 – 28 Hectopascal (hpa) or 18 – 21 milimeter mercury (mm Hg)
- Calf: 13 – 17 hpa or 9.75 – 12.75 mm Hg
- Thigh: 11 – 15 hpa or 8.25 – 11.25 mm Hg
Based on the compression pressure exerted by the pants, it can be categorised as Class 1.
According to the website Ortho Health:
Compression grades of 20 mm Hg or less are considered non-medical, and are used more for general comfort and support for those without underlying conditions.
Based on the definition above, I can now conclude that the FIR compression pants imported from Japan is not a medical grade garment.
Thank you for reading this article and I hope it was informative for you.
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