Compression Socks: What are they and who do they benefit?

A lot of people hear the words “compression socks” and automatically think of those boring socks that only their grandparents wear. What people don’t realize, however, is that wearing compression socks can benefit everyone.

Dr. Segal’s has created stylish and comfortable compression socks that can benefit almost anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle!

To best understand what compression socks are, it’s important to first understand how circulation impacts your legs.

Your heart works to pump blood constantly through your arteries and vessels to reach all the areas in your body. These arteries and vessels act like a hose that carries blood that is highly pressurized throughout your body, providing your cells with oxygen and other necessities. 

Your veins, however, are not pressurized. This means that they have to work a lot harder to move blood and fluid from your limbs back to your heart because they’re working against gravity. Typically the muscles in your legs assist with this circulation, but they’re not always as effective. This can lead to fluid and blood from pooling in your legs and feet, resulting in swelling, achiness and a feeling of heaviness in your lower limbs.

Compression socks work to stimulate circulation in your legs and feet by helping push fluids and blood out of your legs and back up to the heart. They create a gradient of pressure by having a snug fit around the ankle, with the tightness gradually reducing towards the top of the sock which lands just below the knee. This pressure gradient helps prevent swelling and fatigue after a long day of work and activity, and creates better venous pressure.

Dr. Segal’s sock technology incorporates special design and technological features to ensure that the compression socks provide you with the ultimate support, comfort and performance. 

Everyone can benefit from wearing compression socks! Here are just a few ways compression socks can benefit you throughout your day:

While we’re all extremely busy at work, most of us either sit or stand for long periods of time during our day. Whether you’re in the office or are working from home and are sitting at your desk for long hours, or you’re a nurse that’s constantly running around for 10 or more hours each day, compression socks can help. 

Studies have shown that the blood flow in our legs can decrease up to 50% after just 60 minutes of immobility. This results in increased pressure in the veins of the lower leg as blood fights against gravity when returning to the heart. So for all of you working at your desk right now, this is your reminder to get up and stretch those legs!

For those on their feet for long hours of the day such as doctors, construction workers, teachers and nurses, compression socks can help alleviate the achiness and swelling, also known as Edema, that develops in your feet throughout the day by increasing the circulation in your legs and making you feel much more comfortable overall.

Awareness of athletic performance and physical recovery go hand-in-hand with being an athlete. A big part of being an athlete is pushing your body to its limits, but also treating it with the respect it deserves to recover in a quick and healthy manner. 

Athletes who wear compression socks have noted that they’re able to focus more on their athletic performance because they feel less swelling and leg pain associated with ligament, tendon injury and muscle tears, and their legs feel more energized overall. Not worrying about pain or soreness in their legs gives them the ability to concentrate on their game, giving them a mental edge.

Studies show that by increasing oxygen flow to the working muscles and flushing out lactic acid, athletes experience a faster recovery time with decreased muscle soreness and increased comfort overall.

We all love travelling. Who doesn’t want to hop on a plane and fly somewhere new, or step onto a train and watch the scenery pass by? There are so many wonderful experiences that come from travelling, but unfortunately travelling doesn’t come without risks.

Any type of travel lasting 4 or more hours increases your chance of developing a deadly blood clot, also known as a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). While few people experience symptoms of blood clots, everyone has risks.

Blood clots can happen to anyone at any time. Studies found that up to 99% of those who developed a travel-related blood clot had one or more pre-existing risk factors and didn’t even know it. 

Studies show that wearing compression socks while travelling effectively reduces your risk of developing blood clots, and increases your comfort by reducing swelling and leg pain.

Learn more about blood clots and Deep Vein Thrombosis here.

Many factors affect your circulation when pregnant. For example, a person's blood volume increases up to 50% when pregnant, the hormone progesterone relaxes the lining of the veins and slows venous return, and slower blood flow increases the risk of a Deep Vein Thrombosis and blood clots. Learn more about the risk of blood clots during pregnancy here.

Fortunately, wearing compression socks can help alleviate and prevent many common symptoms of pregnancy. This includes swollen feet and ankles, tired and achy legs, and varicose veins and spider veins which often present themselves due to poor circulation.

Various studies have been conducted about the prevalence of varicose veins during pregnancy. Estimates show that up to 70% of people will develop at least one type of varicose veins throughout their pregnancy.

Dr. Segal’s 15-20 mmHg compression socks provide the right level of compression for during pregnancy and after delivery.

Related Blogs

• Blood Clots and Pregnancy: What You Should Know
• What is Edema?
• What are Varicose Veins and How Can They Be Treated
• 9 Tips for Working From Home