What Makes Your Legs Swell Up After Wearing Socks
For many years, I had one airport ritual when I arrived in a new city: as soon as the plane hit the tarmac, I'd pack away the trainers I'd boarded in into my carry-on and I slipped my feet, always terribly swollen after a flight, into a pair of sliders a size too big. With my legs feeling heavy, I'd trudge through immigration, waiting for the moment I'd check-in to my room and soak them in the bathtub I hoped would be there.
When I found out about graduated compression socks and how they could help people like me whose legs and feet tend to swell, it completely changed my experience of flying.
SB SOX Compression Socks (20-30mmHg) for Men & Women
SB SOX
amazon.com
$11.95
Why you might need graduated compression socks on flights
Like many others, you might suffer from swollen or puffy lower legs and feet after long-haul flights, making it painful to walk or fit into your footwear. This happens when a disproportionate amount of fluid accumulates in the tissues in the lower legs.
In such cases, wearing graduated compression socks can help. Designed to apply constant external pressure to your calves, ankles, and feet, these tightly fitted socks that end just below the knee, can help prevent or reduce inflammation in the calves and feet.
Graduated compression socks offer the most compression around the ankle, gradually reducing in intensity up towards the calves. The pressure increases the blood flow through the veins from your legs to your heart. The increased blood circulation brings oxygenated blood back to the legs quickly and more efficiently, improving the ability of the muscles to do their work.
Almost like a firm grip around the legs, the pressure has a relaxing effect on the leg muscles and also decreases the build-up of lactic acid, which is why graduated compression socks are also worn by many athletes, hikers, and marathoners.
Wearing graduated compression socks on long flights also can help prevent the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis which leads to a blood clot in a vein in the legs, as a result of sitting for several hours.
When you should wear graduated compression socks
You might be surprised by how much more comfortable long flights are when you're wearing compression socks, considering that you're likely to forget to get up and stretch your legs when you're binge-watching movies or dozing off to dream about your upcoming holiday. Usually, I keep my compression socks on long after the flight, right until I check in to my hotel, and find that there is absolutely no tiredness or swelling in my legs.
For the same reasons, compression socks are also useful on long road trips where your legs are cramped up for several hours in a car or bus. That fatigue you experience afterward? The right compression socks can greatly reduce or eliminate that unpleasant feeling.
For hikers, long-distance runners, mountain bikers, and cyclists, wearing compression socks during training and recovery can improve overall performance by significantly reducing muscle soreness and enabling faster recovery. This means that they're also an excellent addition to your gear on multi-day hiking or biking expeditions.
If your line of work involves sitting or standing for several hours every day, graduated compression socks can help decrease muscle fatigue and prevent the swelling that usually occurs.
How to choose the right compression socks for flights
While choosing compression socks for flights, travel, or sports, it's best to choose socks that offer graduated compression. As the pressure gradually reduces towards the calves, this ensures unrestricted movement and makes the socks comfortable to wear for long periods of time. You should not feel like you want to take them off to be able to relax.
When it comes to understanding how much compression you need, it's smart to try a couple of options to see what you're comfortable with. Compression is usually mentioned in terms of mmHg, (millimeter of mercury, a unit of pressure), with 12-20 mmHg being light compression and 20-30 mmHg being moderate compression. For someone like me, whose feet tend to get quite swollen, 20-30 mmHg socks are very comfortable on long-haul flights.
The best compression socks come in a soft, breathable, and moisture-wicking material. They shouldn't leave you with rashes or a sweaty feeling in your toes (which could lead to infections) even after several hours of wearing them on a long-haul flight. Some brands use materials like Merino wool, which keep the socks odor-free, which is a no-brainer for travelers.
Finally, it's important that the fit is just right. Obviously, graduated compression socks serve their purpose only when they're tight enough to offer enough compression to increase blood circulation, but they shouldn't be so tight that wearing them is painful in any way. Most brands that sell graduated compression socks require you to measure your feet and calves so you can order the right size. You can also choose to get fitted by a professional at a clinic.
The best compressions socks for flights
As compression socks grow in popularity among savvy travelers, these days you'll find plenty of choices, whatever your budget and style. Whether you like cute patterns, athletic styles, or solid colors, here are some of the best compression socks for flights.
BLITZU
Blitzu Compression Socks 20-30mmHg for Men Women Recovery Running Travel Nursing
BLITZU
amazon.com
$0.00
It's hard to beat the value for money offered by BLITZU compression socks. At just $8 a pair, these socks offer graduated compression at 20-30 mmHg, and are suitable for long flights, hikes, long-distance runs, and other sports.
SB Sox
SB SOX Compression Socks (20-30mmHg) for Men & Women
SB SOX
amazon.com
$11.95
Designed with a steady no-slip cuff and lightweight material, and available in a variety of shoe and calf sizes, SB Sox compression socks come in colorful striped patterns as well as solid colors from blacks and grays to bright pink. You can choose between light (15-20 mmHg) and moderate (20-30 mmHg) compression depending on your specific needs. At just $12.95 a pair, they're well-priced to order a couple of pairs.
Sockwell
Sockwell Women's Chevron Graduated Compression Socks
Sockwell
amazon.com
$0.00
For great style and functionality at a mid-range price point, choose a pair from Sockwell, who also offers compression socks in pretty designs that women will appreciate. The material includes Merino wool, so you can count on their ability to control odors and regulate the temperature of your feet and legs.
Zensah Tech+
Zensah Tech+ Compression Socks - Running Compression Socks
Zensah
amazon.com
$0.00
If you're up for a bit of a splurge, then the Italian-made, thermal-regulating, and moisture-wicking Zensah Tech+ compression socks are a good choice. Used by elite athletes, the differentiating factor here is the superior quality of the socks that are manufactured with a durable 200 needle-count construction. The seamless toe design also prevents toe chafing and blisters.
What Makes Your Legs Swell Up After Wearing Socks
Source: https://www.sfgate.com/shopping/article/graduated-compression-socks-for-airplanes-16112167.php
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