5 Reasons Why You Need Compression Socks

Many people hear the words ‘compression socks‘ and immediately think, ‘I’m too young for those!’ What they don’t realize is, no matter your age or activity level, compression socks can provide immense benefits to many people. To understand how compression socks can help you, it is important to know how circulation affects your legs.

Why Compression Therapy Works

Your heart constantly pumps blood through your arteries. These vessels act as a hose, carrying blood at high pressure to your entire body and providing cells with oxygen and other necessities.

This, of course, includes the arteries and vessels in your legs, as well. Unfortunately, getting blood, lymph and other fluids out of your lower limbs is a bit more difficult.

Your veins and lymphatic system are not pressurized, meaning they have to work against gravity to move fluid back up your legs. Your calf and leg muscle usually do this, but they don’t always work efficiently enough to prevent blood from pooling in the feet, causing that dreaded ‘heavy leg’ feeling.

Compression socks assist in circulation by helping push blood and fluids out of your legs. They create a ‘pressure gradient’ by fitting snugly around the ankle and tapering off in pressure towards the top of the sock. This creates better venous pressure, and prevents swelling and increased fatigue after a long day of work or activity.

WATCH: 5 Reasons Why You Need Compression Socks (2:34)

5 Reasons To Consider Compression Socks

If any of these following situations sound familiar to you, compression socks could help you greatly!

1. You sit all day at work

Some refer to the calf muscle as the second heart. This is because the calf acts as a steady pump during movement and pressurizes veins in the lower leg, allowing blood to flow back to your heart. If you sit at a desk all day, these muscles are doing very little and can cause blood to pool in the lower legs.

2. You stand for long periods of time

Walking encourages more blood flow by using the calf as a muscle pump for your veins, but standing in one position will greatly reduce the effectiveness of this system. This is why trades workers, retail employees, and hospitality staff are all great candidates for using compression socks! Your legs will feel less fatigued and have more energy when your shift is done.

READ MORE: Tired Feet From Work? 6 Ways to Relieve Sore Feet

3. You exercise

Realistically, wearing compression socks probably isn’t going to shave minutes off your half marathon time or get you to squat that extra 20 pounds. What compression can help with is post-exercise recovery and reducing soreness. Studies have demonstrated that wearing compression socks during exercise and recovery can lessen muscle soreness in the legs.

4. You travel

Remember earlier when we explained how sitting for long hours can cause blood to pool in your legs?

Travelling far distances on an airplane can have the same effect. Prolonged sitting while flying increases your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis – or blood clots. Using compression therapy is a great tool to prevent this. As well, it will help keep your legs feeling fresh when you finally arrive at your destination!

5. You like cool socks!

From business casual to fashionable or athletic, both medical and off-the-shelf socks come in a variety of materials and styles. Whether you need something sharp for work or enjoy the ‘athleisure’ aesthetic, compression socks will look as good as they feel!

Talk to an Expert!

Kintec’s fitting experts are available to answer any questions you may have about how compression socks can help you. Stop by one of our locations today, shop our selection of compression socks online.

References:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-010-1464-0

http://shapeamerica.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640410600718376

https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/abs/10.1123/ijspp.3.4.454

http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/3605315

http://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(08)00202-8/abstract