Understanding POTS: Symptoms, Causes and Emerging Support Strategies

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a complex and often misunderstood condition that affects the autonomic nervous system, the system responsible for regulating functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and circulation. It is most commonly seen in young women and can significantly impact quality of life, particularly during daily activities that involve standing or prolonged upright posture.

What is POTS?

POTS is diagnosed when there is an excessive increase in heart rate, typically 30 beats per minute or more (or 40 bpm in adolescents), within 10 minutes of standing, without a significant drop in blood pressure. While this may sound straightforward, the symptoms are anything but.

People with POTS often experience:

• Dizziness or light-headedness when standing
• Heart palpitations
• Fatigue and exercise intolerance
• Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
• Headaches
• Muscle pain
• Gastrointestinal disturbances

These symptoms can fluctuate daily and are often exacerbated by heat, dehydration, illness, or hormonal changes.

What Causes POTS?

POTS is considered a multifactorial condition, meaning there isn’t a single cause. Instead, several physiological mechanisms may be involved, including:

• Venous pooling in the lower body when standing
• Reduced blood volume (hypovolemia)
• Impaired vasoconstriction, meaning blood vessels don’t tighten effectively
• Autonomic dysfunction, affecting heart rate and circulation

Together, these lead to reduced blood flow back to the heart and brain when upright, triggering the hallmark symptoms.

Managing POTS

There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for POTS, but management typically focuses on improving circulation and reducing symptom burden. Common strategies include:

• Increasing fluid and salt intake
• Gradual exercise and reconditioning
• Medications (in some cases)
• Compression therapy, particularly targeting the legs and abdomen

Clinicians often use compression garments as they play an important role by helping to reduce blood pooling and improve venous return, which can stabilise heart rate and reduce dizziness.

The Role of Compression Garments

Research has consistently shown that compression of the lower limbs and abdomen can improve haemodynamic stability in individuals with POTS. However, traditional compression stockings are often poorly tolerated due to discomfort, heat, and difficulty putting them on, leading to low compliance.

There is growing recognition that comfort and wearability are key. If patients don’t wear the garment consistently, they won’t benefit from it, no matter how effective it is in theory.

A Pilot Study on SRC Compression Leggings for POTS

A recent pilot study (Dec 2025) explored the impact of SRC Graduated Compression Leggings on individuals with POTS and Orthostatic Intolerance (OI). Eleven participants tracked their symptoms over a three-week baseline period, followed by six weeks of daily wear of the compression leggings.

The results were promising. Participants experienced statistically significant reductions in key symptoms, including dizziness, palpitations, chest pain, headaches, muscle pain, fatigue, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Improvements in palpitations and muscle pain were particularly notable, suggesting meaningful benefits for daily comfort and function.

Importantly, participants also reported high levels of comfort and ease of wear, which likely contributed to consistent use, addressing one of the biggest barriers seen with traditional compression therapy.

View the SRC Compression Leggings for POTS study here.

What’s Next: Expanding the Research

Building on these encouraging findings, SRC Health is planning a larger clinical study in 2026 to further evaluate the effectiveness of its graduated compression garments in individuals with POTS. This next phase of research aims to include a broader participant group and incorporate additional objective measures and quality of life outcomes.

This is an important step forward. Larger-scale data will help strengthen the clinical evidence base, support healthcare professionals in treatment decisions, and continue to refine garment design to better meet the needs of people living with POTS.

Final Thoughts

POTS can be a challenging and life-altering condition, but emerging research continues to improve our understanding of how to manage it effectively. Compression therapy, when designed with both clinical efficacy and real-world wearability in mind, offers a practical, non-invasive way to support symptom relief and improve quality of life.

As research evolves, so too does the opportunity to provide better, more accessible solutions for those living with autonomic dysfunction.

Further help for POTs UK https://www.potsuk.org/.

Sinead O'Donovan

CEO / Women's Health Advocate