Compression socks are specialized socks designed to apply gentle, controlled pressure to your legs and ankles. Their primary function is to improve blood circulation by squeezing the legs, which helps blood flow more efficiently back toward the heart
What Compression Socks Do:
- Promote Better Blood Flow: Compression socks gently push blood upward from the legs, preventing blood from pooling and reducing the risk of blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Reduce Swelling and Edema: By improving circulation, they help prevent and reduce swelling in the legs, feet, and ankles
- Relieve Leg Pain and Fatigue: They can lessen discomfort and muscle strain, especially for people who stand or sit for long periods, or athletes during and after exercise
- Support Vein Health: Compression socks help the valves in veins function properly, preventing venous insufficiency and conditions like varicose and spider veins
- Enhance Athletic Performance and Recovery: For runners and athletes, they improve oxygen delivery to muscles, speed up removal of metabolic waste like lactate, reduce muscle soreness, and may lower injury risk
- Prevent Blood Clots on Flights or Inactivity: They are recommended for travelers on long flights or people confined to wheelchairs to reduce clot risk and swelling
How They Work:
Compression socks are often graduated, meaning the pressure is highest at the ankle and gradually decreases up the leg. This gradient helps push blood upward against gravity, aiding vein valves and muscle contractions to circulate blood effectively
. In summary, compression socks improve circulation, reduce swelling, prevent blood clots, relieve leg pain, and support vein health, making them beneficial for medical conditions, athletic performance, and prolonged sitting or standing situations