Compression Socks and the Circulatory System
Compression garments are a useful tool for managing poor circulation in the feet and legs.
The heart is essentially a pump that moves blood around our body. It has an easy enough time moving blood down to the feet because gravity is helping out. However, the way back up the legs is a bit more difficult.
The veins that return blood to the core are essentially big, long tubes and along these tubes there is a series of one-way valves. These valves allow blood to travel up the vein but they do not allow blood to travel back down the leg. When we move around the muscles in our legs and feet will bunch up and squish the veins. If everything with the valves is working correctly there is only one way for the blood to go: along the vein, up the leg and back to the core. This also means that staying active, walking, and standing are all excellent tools for maintaining circulatory health.
As we get older or develop various health complications this system can start to break down. If the valves stop working correctly it can allow blood to start pooling or even back flowing in the veins. This blood is not being recirculated effectively thus it is not being oxygenated or filtered the way it is supposed to be.
Conditions that can contribute to circulation issues:
- chronic venous insufficiency
- diabetes
- peripheral neuropathy
- varicose veins
- pregnancy
- changes in environmental pressure such as airline flights
This can lead to feelings of fatigue, cramping, swelling, visibly blue or raised veins. Often the sensation is described as 'aching', 'tired', or the leg feels 'tight like a basketball'.
Compression garments are articles of clothing, typically stockings or socks, that squeeze the leg in such a way that will help improve blood flow. Each garment has two numbers associated with it that will often be displayed like this:
20-30 mmHg
Let's start at the back end: mmHg is an old school unit of measurement, a holdover from when medical pressures were measured with an actual tube filled with mercury. 1mmHg = approximately 0.02 pounds per square inch. It tells us that the preceding numbers are about how much 'squish' the garment will provide.
The numbers, in this case 20-30, are how much of this pressure the socks will exert on the leg at the top of the sock first, then at the bottom of the sock second. Compression garments use what is called graduated compression; they squeeze with the maximum amount of force down towards the ground, then let off bit by bit as they go up the leg. This means that there is always more pressure at any point further down the leg than there is above. Thus, blood will be encouraged to flow up the leg and back towards the core for recirculation.
Because of this effect on pressure, it is always recommended that you speak to a physician before using compression garments, especially if you have heart complications or issues with your blood pressure. The circulatory system is an important and complex part of your body and compression garments will affect it's function. You can of course speak to a pedorthist about whether compression may be beneficial to you, but a part of that conversation will be informing you to check in with your family doctor or a walk-in clinic before any garments are requested for you.
