Doctors often recommend compression socks for patients with vein disease, but these specialty garments aren’t just for patients with deep vein thrombosis. They can provide all kinds of health benefits to plenty of other groups, as well. Read on to find out who should wear compression socks and when to see if it’s worth picking up a pair or two.
Nurses and Other Healthcare Professionals
Nurses and other healthcare workers often spend hours at a time on their feet taking care of patients. As a result, they often head home after 8 to 12-hour shifts with sore legs and swollen ankles. Compression socks can reduce swelling and pain associated with spending too much time standing up or running between patients’ rooms.
Healthcare professionals already have enough stress on their plates. They shouldn’t have to live with unnecessary pain and discomfort as a routine consequence of their important jobs. They can learn more about compression socks and other appropriate solutions by contacting SockWell USA.
Frequent Travelers
Standing or walking all day often leads to excess ankle swelling and leg pain, but so does sitting down for long flights or road trips. Frequent fliers know that sitting on planes can inhibit blood flow to the lower extremities. It doesn’t just cause aches and pains, either. Spending prolonged periods of time sitting in the same position can also increase travelers’ chances of developing dangerous blood clots.
Compression socks help to prevent pain, swelling, and blood clots by promoting healthy blood flow to and from the feet and legs. Even travelers who don’t mind paying the extra money for a first-class seat with more legroom or stopping every hour or two on road trips should still consider purchasing compression socks. It’s much easier to enjoy a trip without all those unnecessary aches and pains.
Runners and Other Athletes
Compression socks won’t help anyone run faster or jump higher. They can, however, reduce fatigue and promote post-workout recovery. Some athletes wait until after they’ve sustained an injury to purchase compression socks, but that’s a mistake. It makes far more sense to use them preventatively to promote healthy blood flow.
Of course, athletes recovering from foot, ankle, and leg injuries can still benefit from compression socks. By promoting healthy blood flow, they can also help to prevent pooling around the injured area and keep swelling down. This, in turn, helps to reduce pain and speed recovery.
Pregnant Women
It’s common for pregnant women to experience foot, ankle, and lower leg swelling. The reason for this trend is simple. The same excess blood and fluids that help to nourish developing babies can also pool in expecting mothers’ lower extremities. Problems with pooling blood in the feet, ankles, and legs are exacerbated when women spend prolonged periods on their feet.
Wearing compression socks can stimulate blood flow and reduce swelling, but don’t think of them as a replacement for taking periodic breaks to sit and relax. They’re more like a tool to help expecting mothers get through difficult days at work or at home. Compression socks can be worn during any trimester, though most women find them most helpful during their third trimesters.
Office Workers
Spending all day sitting at a desk can cause all kinds of problems, including leg, ankle, and foot pain and swelling. Most experts recommend getting up and moving at least once an hour to improve blood flow and increase comfort, but not all office workers have that luxury.
Workers with less forward-thinking bosses can still take steps to prevent aches and pains and decrease their risks of developing blood clots. They can purchase high-quality compression socks that look just like normal office attire. Just like frequent travelers, seated office workers will find that compression socks help to promote blood flow to the lower extremities without drawing unnecessary attention from coworkers or managers.
Cashiers and Sales Associates
Retail workers know that spending eight hours a day on their feet will take its toll. Well-fitted shoes and high-quality insoles can help with problems like improper weight distribution, but they won’t necessarily help with swelling. Combining the right footwear with the right compression socks can make a much larger difference when it comes to employee comfort, both at work and after a long shift is over.
Cashiers and other retail associates certainly aren’t the only modern workers who spend all day on their feet. Warehouse workers, hairstylists, teachers, and many blue-collar employees deal with just as many aches and pains. Don’t worry. Compression socks are designed for everyone. They’re not industry-specific.
Patients with Diabetes
Diabetes often causes poor circulation, which leads to swelling in the extremities and can eventually cause nerve damage in the feet. Compression socks help to alleviate the ill effects of poor circulation, which is especially important for people diagnosed with diabetes.
If chronic swelling leads to nerve damage, it can increase diabetic patients’ risks of developing sores, wounds, and potentially dangerous infections. Purchasing compression socks made from moisture-wicking materials like wool can also help to keep bacteria at bay.
Winter Sports Enthusiasts
Even athletes who don’t ordinarily have problems with poor circulation may want to reconsider their stances on compression socks when winter rolls around. Cold temperatures cause the blood vessels to constrict, which restricts blood flow to the extremities.
Wearing high-quality, warm, and comfortable compression socks helps to keep blood flowing to and from the feet and legs, making it more enjoyable and safer to engage in winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. Improving circulation can also reduce pressure on the heart, which already has to work harder to pump blood to the extremities in the cold.
Is There Anyone Who Shouldn’t Wear Compression Socks?
Compression socks aren’t recommended for patients with peripheral vascular disease. The constant pressure may make ischemic vascular disease worse and increase the chances of complications. Otherwise, just about anyone can benefit from increased blood flow to their feet and legs, especially in the circumstances described above. Just make sure to purchase high-quality socks from a reputable manufacturer that offers different levels of compression.
