How to apply a compression bandage
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
Compression reduces swelling but can harm if too tight or used with poor arterial flow.
Step by step
Check first
Pulses, color, sensation; ask about arterial disease. [1]
Position
Limb raised, foot at 90 degrees for the leg. [1]
Wrap
From toes or fingers upward, overlapping by half. [1]
Even tension
Firm but not tight; no wrinkles. [1]
Recheck
Circulation and comfort after wrapping and again later. [1]
Teach
Numbness, color change or pain: loosen and call. [1]
Common errors
- Starting above the ankle.
- Too tight.
- Compression with arterial disease.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Lymphedema after mastectomy
- Acute pulmonary edema
- Arteriovenous malformation of a limb
- Deep venous thrombosis (outpatient)
- Chronic venous insufficiency
- Papilledema
10 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.