The pressure sock first appeared in a basic form when troglodytes walked the Earth. It has long been known that applying pressure to areas of swelling, especially in the most dependent extremities (parts that hang lowest when upright), is a good way to aid the body in returning that excess fluid into the circulatory system.
A Game Changer For Edema
The most common sense thing that is helped by pressure stockings or socks is swelling in the feet, ankles, or lower legs. Many health issues can cause these problems, so it is important to establish why swelling is present. It can appear in a normally healthy person during pregnancy or in the presence of a traumatic injury to underlying tissues. However, other problems that aren’t temporary might be the cause. After your doctor or practitioner recommends that you use a compression sock as part or all of your treatment for lower leg or foot swelling, ensure you are directed to use the type best for you and your health.
Making Circulation More Effective
By applying pressure to key areas, compression socks can help prevent the pooling of intracellular fluids in places where people are most apt to get it – the lower legs and feet. Prevention of gross edema and improvement in areas where severe swelling was problematic can help with problems like insufficiency of the veins. If the veins can’t fully return deoxygenated blood to the heart circulated fluids pool, causing swelling. Placing pressure on the legs and lower body is an old remedy for increasing blood pressure in severe trauma-related blood loss. Knowing this helps to illustrate how returning pooled fluids to the circulation can benefit the whole. While having swollen ankles or feet is unsightly, the bigger issue is the problems caused by stores of excess fluids in the tissues. It is not considered a normal circulatory problem to have swelling, and returning the normal state of equilibrium to the circulatory system is a treatment goal. Determining the reason for the bump is essential so that any medicines, treatments, or other curative measures can be taken to prevent further swelling or worse swelling in the future, if possible.
Decreasing The Presence of Life-Threatening Clots
DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) is the phenomenon of blood stasis in the lower legs’ veins (usually in the calves, but not always), leading to the formation of blood clots. These clots can break away from the legs and then travel to places like the lungs, heart, or brain, where they can wreak havoc and become deadly.
An association between compression stockings and a decrease in DVT was established in the infancy of modern medicine. The constant pressure provided by these socks or stockings decreases venous stasis (pooling of blood in the veins, which isn’t returned to the heart as quickly as a healthy body should). By preventing this dangerous environment – an ideal environment for clotting without any preventative measures – the incidence of clots being thrown from the lower legs is decreased.
Some people are at risk for this, even when sitting in place for several hours or more. Even normally healthy people are at risk for Economy Class Syndrome – so named for all of the normal healthy people who suffered a heart attack, stroke, or lung clots after long flights. Sitting with knees bent for hours can lead to clots forming in the legs in a certain number of adults. It is recommended that all people move about to some degree, if possible, during long flights. Wearing compression socks or stockings further prevents this problem. Also, post-op patients are, often fitted with compression stockings or pantyhose to prevent clots, as well as those with a history or predisposition for DVT. It is an economical, non-invasive way to prevent a life-threatening problem.
Pain Relief for Varicosities
It is a relief to apply the constant, all-over pressure of a compression sock or garment for those who suffer from varicose veins. People with painful varicosities will often wear compression socks alone to control pain from the veins while they are at work or up and about. Wearing these socks or stockings doesn’t prevent varicose veins, but it does help decrease pain in existing veins that cause problems.