What do marathon runners, ER nurses, golfers, and kindergarten teachers all have in common?
Besides all things we wanted to be when we were kids, they’re all people who can benefit from graduated compression socks. Compression socks improve blood flow, reduce fatigue, and aid in recovery, making them beneficial for anyone on or off their feet for long periods.
If you’re new to our socks, we’ll show you how they work and what they can do for you, whether you’re an elite athlete, a weekend warrior, or like most of us, just someone with a busy life on the go and on their feet all day.
PRO Compression socks are made of comfy, breathable, moisture-wicking materials that apply gentle pressure to your feet, ankles, and legs. This pressure promotes blood flow from your legs to your heart and vice versa.
Improved blood flow can reduce swelling and pain caused by long hours on your feet or extended periods of sitting, like on a plane trip. It can prevent several uncomfortable medical conditions related to poor circulation. It can also boost athletic performance and speed up recovery by keeping your muscles well-fed with restorative oxygen-rich blood.1
We’ll get into the specifics later, but in a nutshell, compression socks can help:
To understand how compression socks work, you need to know a little bit about blood flow. Don’t worry; you don’t need a medical degree or even a passing grade in BIO 101. It’s a simple circuit (kind of like circuit training, but for your cardiovascular system):
There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?
When you’re standing up and moving for long periods- for example, a 12-hour shift in the hospital or 18 holes on the golf course–your veins are working against gravity to deliver blood back to your heart. Since your feet are the farthest from your heart, that can be a tiring job!
Our knee-high compression socks give your veins a boost by gently squeezing your feet and legs, helping your blood to move faster in the right direction. All those awesome benefits, like reduced swelling, faster recovery time, and reduced pain, can be attributed to improved circulation.
So who came up with this ingenious idea of graduated compression socks anyway? While we know our socks are the best, we can’t claim all the wellness credit. The concept actually goes back the early days of medicine and it’s called compression therapy.
Compression therapy uses controlled pressure to increase the blood flow in your legs. Things like socks, sleeves, wraps, and bandages apply external pressure that can improve your veins and increase blood flow to your heart.
True graduated compression socks feature a gradual change in the level of compression. For example, on our Marathon knee high socks, compression is strongest around the foot and ankle, then gradually decreases toward the top of the sock nearing the knee.
With this type of socks, compression is focused on the lower extremities–giving blood that extra boost that sends it on its way back up to your heart instead of refluxing downward.
Knee-high graduated compression socks help prevent swelling caused by fluid buildup in the feet and ankles, called peripheral edema.2
We’ve discussed the amazingly healthy things compression socks can do for your vascular system. Now here’s a list of the top benefits you can enjoy every day when you slip into your favorite pair of PRO Compression socks:
The benefits of sports compression socks don’t have to be medical; these socks are often used by elite athletes trimming seconds off of their mile times (not just Grandma). During activity- whether running a marathon, weightlifting, or playing sports- increased blood flow delivers oxygen to your muscles faster.6 By rejuvenating and fueling the tissue, it can help you to feel stronger, more energized, and ultimately perform better.
Who knows, a pair of PRO Compression socks might just help you push through mile 18. Check out our reviews to see how we’ve helped others!
After a workout, that blood pumping through your system combined with increased lymph circulation can help your muscles recover quicker. Improved blood flow also carries the muscle waste away to the kidneys quicker. That means less muscle fatigue and cramping, and less soreness the next day.
Compression socks are graded according to their compression pressure in mmHg, which stands for millimeters of mercury and is the standard measurement for pressure or compression.
Why is compression rating listed as a range? This range is a good thing as it indicates that the compression is graduated. The higher number in the range is amount of compression at the foot while the lower number is the amount at the top of sock near the knee. This graduation is what promotes blood flow from the foot back up the leg towards the heart.7
While there is no standard for a single rating range, it is generally classified into light or low compression for anything lower than 20 mmHg, medium compression for pressure of 20-30 mmHg, and high compression for anything greater than 30 mmHg.
The ideal range of compression for most uses, including exercise and recovery, is medium 20-30 mmHg as this is the most popular and tested range of compression. Our popular knee-high Marathon Collection is made within this range.
Sluggish circulation doesn’t just cause poor performance on the golf course or a sub-par finishing place in the triathlon; it can also cause many medical issues both now and as you age. Doctors often recommend compression socks to people suffering from vein diseases and other conditions.
Compression socks can help:
Figure: Mechanisms of action of graduated compression socks. Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal
While we’re proud to say athletes love our socks, you don’t have to be a pro or even a weekend warrior to enjoy the benefits of graduated compression.
Compression socks are beneficial for:
Compression socks for women and men have come a long way since the idea of compression therapy was invented. We’re not talking about those boring drugstore beige compression stockings anymore. We’re talking about the new generation of elite compression socks for sale that are performance-boosting, therapeutic, and come in so many stylish designs–you’ll be excited to pick out your pair for the day.
From trail/hiking ankle socks to Marathon knee-highs, check out our collections of PRO Compression socks and feel how they can work their magic for you.
Disclaimer: This article is not medical advice and is provided by PRO Compression as information to its readers. Before beginning any exercise or treatment protocol, please consult your doctor.
