Compression socks, as a common equipment to assist health and improve leg discomfort, are becoming more and more popular. Whether it is people who stand for a long time to work or sports enthusiasts, they all hope to promote blood circulation in the legs and reduce leg fatigue by wearing compression socks.
However, some friends have suffered from leg pain after wearing compression socks, which is not only confusing, but also affects the experience of using compression socks.
Today, let's take a deep look at why leg pain occurs after wearing compression socks.
How does the Compression Socks work?
How Does Compression Socks Work?To understand the reason for leg pain after wearing compression socks, you must first understand the working principle of compression socks. Compression socks are not ordinary socks. They are designed to gradually reduce pressure from the ankle to the thigh, so that the blood in the leg flows back from the ankle with higher pressure to the thigh with lower pressure, thereby improving blood circulation.
It's like giving the blood vessels in the legs an orderly "massage", helping the blood flow smoothly, reducing blood congestion in the legs, and then relieving leg swelling, fatigue and other discomfort.
Under normal circumstances, wearing compression socks properly can bring many benefits, but once pain occurs, you need to carefully investigate the cause.
Factors of Compression Socks Themselves
Improper size
What Size Compression Socks Do I Need?The size of compression socks is crucial. If the compression socks you choose are too small, it will be like putting too tight shackles on your legs. Imagine that your legs are tightly bound and your blood vessels and muscles do not have enough space to "breathe".
Take Plus Size Socks as an example. For people with a fat body, if you do not choose the right size of compression socks, but force yourself to wear smaller socks, the pressure on your legs will be over-concentrated, hindering blood circulation and causing pain.
On the contrary, if the socks are too large, the pressure distribution is uneven, and they cannot play the role of promoting blood circulation as they should. They may also cause additional local pressure due to the sliding and wrinkling of the socks on the legs, which will also cause leg pain.
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How to Measure for Compression Socks
Mismatched pressure levels
Different compression socks have different pressure levels, ranging from mild to severe pressure. Choosing a pressure level that does not suit your needs can also easily cause problems. For example, Plusock's compression socks provide consumers with a variety of pressure levels to choose from.
For those who just wear them daily and want to relieve mild leg fatigue, if they choose a level of pressure that is too high, the legs will be under excessive pressure, the blood vessels and nerves will be over-compressed, and pain will follow.
For those who need higher pressure to treat diseases such as varicose veins, if they choose socks with too low a pressure level, they will not achieve the expected effect, and may even delay the improvement of leg problems due to ineffective pressure intervention, resulting in increased leg discomfort.
Improper Wearing Method
Wearing for too long
Compression socks are good, but they cannot be worn without restraint. If you wear compression socks for a long time, the leg muscles are always in a state of compression and have no chance to relax.
For example, some people wear compression socks from morning to night, even when they sleep, which is like applying external force to the leg muscles, making them unable to stretch normally. Leg muscles will gradually become fatigued and cause pain when they are in a state of tension for a long time.
Under normal circumstances, it is recommended to control the time of wearing compression socks within a certain range every day to leave time for the legs to rest and recover.
Wrong wearing method
The correct wearing method is essential to exert the effect of compression socks and avoid leg pain. Many people may pull the compression socks randomly when wearing them, and fail to put the socks evenly on the legs, causing the socks to be partially too tight or too loose.
When wearing compression socks of different lengths, such as quarter socks, crew socks, knee high socks, and thigh high socks, you need to start from the toes and slowly smooth them upwards to ensure that the socks fit the curve of the legs and the pressure is evenly distributed.
If you are careless when wearing socks, wrinkles will appear on the socks, and these wrinkles will form local high-pressure areas, causing additional pressure on the skin and muscles of the legs, causing pain.
Personal Physical Factors
Skin sensitivity
Some people's skin is naturally more sensitive. Long-term contact and friction between compression socks and skin can easily cause skin discomfort, which in turn causes pain. Even if the material of the compression socks itself is relatively soft, it may be an irritation for people with sensitive skin.
When choosing compression socks, this group of people needs to pay more attention to the material of the socks, such as choosing socks with a high content of natural fibers and a skin-friendly texture.
Moreover, when people with sensitive skin wear compression stockings for the first time, it is recommended to conduct a local skin test first, observe for a period of time to see if there is any discomfort, and then decide whether to continue wearing them.
Potential disease impact
Some potential leg diseases may also cause pain after wearing compression stockings. For example, people with deep vein thrombosis have poor blood vessel conditions in their legs and poor blood circulation. At this time, if the way of wearing compression stockings or the socks selected are not appropriate, it may further aggravate the blockage of blood vessels and cause increased pain.
In addition, the joints of arthritis patients are inherently fragile and sensitive. If the pressure distribution of compression stockings at the joints is unreasonable, it may also stimulate the tissues around the joints and cause pain. Therefore, for people who suffer from leg diseases, it is best to consult a doctor before wearing compression stockings.
Read More:who should not wear compression socks
Other Possible Factors
Environmental factors
Ambient temperature and humidity may also affect the experience of wearing compression stockings. In a hot and humid environment, wearing compression stockings will make the legs feel more stuffy and the skin sweat more.
Sweat will increase the friction between the socks and the skin, which is not only easy to cause skin discomfort, but also may cause the fit of the socks on the legs to change, and appear to be too tight or too loose locally, causing pain.
In a cold and dry environment, the skin itself tends to become fragile, and the pressure of compression stockings may cause greater irritation to the skin and cause pain in the legs.
Sock material problem
Compression stockings are made of a variety of materials, and the performance and effects of different materials on the skin vary. Some synthetic compression stockings may have poor breathability, which can make the legs feel stuffy when worn.
For example, some non-breathable chemical fiber socks will hinder the normal breathing of the skin on the legs, causing the skin temperature to rise, causing discomfort, and even pain in severe cases.
In contrast, natural fiber materials such as cotton compression stockings have better breathability, but may be relatively weak in elasticity. If the material of the compression stockings is not elastic, it is difficult to maintain uniform pressure distribution during wearing, and it is easy to have excessive local pressure, which will lead to leg pain.
Relief and Prevention Methods
Correctly choose compression stockings
Choosing compression stockings of the right size and pressure level is the key. When buying compression stockings, accurately measure the size of your legs, including the circumference of the ankle, calf and thigh, and then choose the right size according to the size chart provided by the brand.
The pressure level should be determined according to your needs and physical condition. If it is just for daily health care, you can choose socks with a mild pressure level; if you need treatment, you need to choose the appropriate pressure level under the guidance of a doctor.
For example, Plusock brand compression socks provide a detailed size and pressure level guide, which is convenient for consumers to choose according to their own situation.
Plusock's Plus Size Compression Socks are aimed at people with larger bodies. Their design fully considers their physical characteristics and provides comfortable and effective pressure support.
If you are considering buying compression socks, you might want to take a look at Plus Size Solid Color Open Toe Compression Socks or Colorful Cool Lines Plus Size Compression Socks，which not only makes you comfortable but also effectively promotes blood circulation.
Master the correct wearing method
When wearing compression socks, make sure to start from the toes and slowly put them up. Every time you pull them up a little, stop and smooth the socks to make them fit the legs evenly. Wearing different types of compression socks, such as No Show Socks, ankle socks, etc., the method is similar, and you should pay attention to avoid wrinkles in the socks.
At the same time, you should control the wearing time. It is advisable to wear them for 8-10 hours a day. It is generally not recommended to wear them at night to let the legs get enough rest. After taking off the compression socks, you can do a proper leg massage to promote blood circulation in the legs and relieve muscle tension.
Pay attention to your body's reactions
After wearing compression stockings, pay close attention to your body's reactions. If you experience discomfort such as pain, itching, redness, and swelling in your legs, stop wearing them immediately and check the cause.
For people with sensitive skin, you can apply some mild skin cream on your legs before wearing compression stockings to reduce friction between the stockings and the skin. If the pain persists or is accompanied by other serious symptoms, such as increased leg swelling and skin discoloration, you should seek medical attention in time to rule out potential health problems.
Conclusion
The reasons for leg pain after wearing compression stockings are multifaceted, which may involve factors of the compression stockings themselves, such as size, pressure level, and material; it may also be related to improper wearing methods, personal physical conditions, and environmental factors.
By choosing compression stockings correctly, mastering the appropriate wearing methods, and paying attention to body reactions, we can effectively avoid the occurrence of discomfort symptoms such as leg pain while enjoying the benefits of compression stockings.
The Plusock brand is committed to providing consumers with high-quality, comfortable and effective compression stockings products, whether for daily health care or specific needs, to protect your leg health. I hope that after understanding this knowledge, everyone can use compression socks correctly to keep their legs comfortable and healthy.