Here are some of the benefits which may be achieved when wearing Compression Socks for Sport, let’s take a closer look:
- Enhanced oxygen delivery: As mentioned above, keeping oxygen-rich blood flowing to your muscles is pivotal to performance. You don’t want to be halfway through your marathon just to have your calves poop out on you.
So how do Knee High Compression Socks help you achieve this important oxygen delivery? The purpose of compression socks is to provide graduated compression, meaning they’re tighter at the bottom, and looser at the top.
They’re designed to help your legs battle the effects of gravity by pushing blood back up to the heart. The pressure created by the stockings help funnel fluid up the leg, increasing blood flow to the heart—meaning you can get those good nutrients and essential oxygen exactly where you need them, when you need them.
- Reduce lactic acid: Compression socks may also help with muscle soreness— now we have your attention!
When you exercise, your body produces a waste product called lactic acid. If you let lactic acid hang out in your muscles, you may be feeling mighty sore come tomorrow morning—and unable to complete that 5km you had planned.
OTC Compression socks are here to save the day! Like we mentioned above, proper compression therapy can help constrict your veins—but don’t worry, this is a good thing!
When your veins become more narrow, the velocity of the blood coursing through actually increases.
Increased velocity means that your blood and lactic acid can actually make their way back to your heart much faster, decreasing the amount of muscle soreness you’re bound to feel in the days following your big run.
- Prevent cramps and swelling: Compression may help reduce excess movement of your calf muscles—why tire out your legs more than you need to? Wearing a compression sock while running may help decrease the effort your legs have to put in, meaning you’ll go easier on your muscles and reduce the effects of fatigue.
Compression socks for running can also be used to control swelling in your feet, ankles, and legs. Because these socks squeeze around these areas, they prevent the buildup of fluid in the tissue.