Reddit mentions: The best compression socks

I have circulation issues in my legs and have been wearing the Jobst trouser socks for 5 years. I still have the original socks, and I purchased them in 2013, so soon they'll be 6 years old. They no longer look new, but they're still in excellent shape with minimal pilling. My smartwool socks purchased at the same time are about ready to be recycled into something else.

I wear them to work, as they look very nice under slacks, I wear them on flights and road trips... I have relatively large calves and they're super comfortable and incredibly durable. They're thin enough to fit into my nicer work shoes, and I've used them for winter layering when my feet are cold (putting them on as a base layer, then wool socks on top). Cannot recommend them enough. :)

Hey ladies! I got here a bit by accident, but I wanted to let you all know that ugly compression socks are one thing you don't have to put up with. I have to wear them due to having had a DVT and having Post-Thrombotic Syndrome. Here are some of my favorites:

Cutecompression.com has lots of cute styles.

Sockwell has tons of cute styles on Amazon.

Celeste Stein has many cute varieties on Amazon, and they are thinner (great for summer).

I haven't personally tried these or these, but I bet they're ok.

And, finally, some of you may benefit from a sock donner.

Best wishes on your pregnancies, and I hope this helps some of you!

I would definitely suggest wearing compression socks like these. They really helped my feet not swell on my 11 hour international flight to Europe this summer.

I made sure to get up and walk up and down the isle once every hour or so. I also didn't keep any carry on luggage under the seat in front of me so I could stretch my feet under there and have a bit more room. It's good that you have an isle seat so you can move whenever you like.

Oh! And drink tons of water. I know it makes you have to pee more, but the recycled air on airplanes really dehydrates you, and your body will feel much better if you keep fluids down.

I'm sure your flight will be great! Good luck!

Yeah, they definitely help but I'm not a big fan of the ankle high ones as I feel like they just make my feet feel better and my calves/knees feel worse. So I wear the over the calf high ones and they're pretty fantastic.

I have a few pairs of these that I got on sale awhile back, I find the 20-30mmHg to be the best level for myself but you can always try out other levels of compression as well. Some may prefer lighter compression, some heavier.

For the feet, check out some plantar fasciitis stretches. I was once told by a coworker that if she does them at work intermittently (I had always just done them at home) that it really helped her throughout the day. When you get home from work elevate them, ice them, and rest them. I find these socks to be really helpful in icing. You can freeze a bottle of water and then roll it under your foot. You may also want to get some compression socks. I thought they'd be really uncomfortable, but they are comfy, just warm.

As for shoes, get a pair that when you push/pull on the toe/heel that they have not a whole lot of give. If the shoe is really flexible, it's not giving you a lot of support. I have inserts from a podiatrist (might be worth looking into), but I have heard amazing things about the Dr Scholls inserts (Where you step on the machine and it tells you what kind to buy - I read /r/talesfromyourserver and they recommend them over there all the time. You could check out their posts about shoes too - there are ones about shoes like every couple weeks and they have a lot of experience on their feet.

As far as your back - I'm not sure because I haven't had back problems, but make sure when you lift that you're using proper ergonomics - lift with your knees. Consider a lifting brace. Back injuries are no joke and anything you can do to avoid them could literally save you a lifetime of pain.

Congrats on the good anatomy scan!

I wore compression stockings during a trip in September when I was on my feet a lot and getting a little swelling in my ankles. It took a couple days to get used to them, but then it was fine (and no swelling!).

My OB advised that the thigh-highs were more comfortable. He said that for my purposes (travel) I didn't need the kind where you get fitted at a medical supply place. And I didn't need something super-compressing. I ended up getting these.

Even though the compression level is weaker, they were still tight to put on the first few days. What I really liked was that the silicone beading did it's job: I never had a problem with them slipping down. They were super secure. And at least after a few washes, the silicone still worked fine.

Also, with a doctors "letter of medical necessity", they're FSA-eligible, if that's relevant.

Glad to help! IMO Those As Seen on TV "Miracle Copper" Socks have almost no compression so I find them beyond useless, but these offer better compression and are actually cheaper (I'm sure there might be even better compression socks in a higher price range but I'm frugal : ))
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y2W3DVN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . I also like that they are in a multipack because you probably don't want to wear the same socks more than 1 day without washing and probably won't have time to wash and dry the 1 pair between days. These have even more compression: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B072S43822/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . With all of them make sure to get the right size (for example I have wide feet and larger calves so I tend to go for large or mens).

You should get knee-high/thigh-high compressions! I wear shorts with mine at home. I prefer the ones that stop at my ankles ("footless") because my house has slippery floors. I highly recommend the thigh highs, but they can bunch up under the knees and become uncomfortable (I sit on my legs or squeeze myself into my chair tho). They also have silicon circles at the top to hold onto your legs better, but I fold them outwards because they leave dents in me and make me itch, they also aren't really needed since they hold on pretty good anyway, otherwise I love them.

thigh-high w/o foot = https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L8XTN7L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

thigh-high w foot = https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072TLJ9TP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

HEY!

I live in Texas so maybe it gets to cold for you but what I do for outdoor climbing is wear a nice pair of cargo shorts and a pair of knees compression sleeves (I had major damage done to them and a torn ACL from 8/2013 until September/2016)

BUT! You could always get something like this calf compression sleeve

My 2 knees sleeves kept me plenty warm while climbing in 45 degree weather and they offer plenty of movement. The calve sleeves would not hinder any movement be better for better grip on rock and would't be baggy or in the way.

I know it sounds a bit odd but trust me it's fantastic. I actually have a pair of baseball forearm sleeves for climbing in the summer (because rocks get very hot in Texas)



EDIT- Because I proofread after I submit.

This awesome photo is from the summer right after high school, before I did my "victory lap" I hope it counts.

Item that I'd love to get

It's my first time, please be gentle.

Sweet, sure those look great. I found good benefit from nightly hot foot soaks with epsom salts - then throwing on the toe spreaders for a bit.

I started with small foams between each toe, then went to Pro-Tec spreaders which pushed a bit more, then yoga toes which push the most.

Couple other items to consider are Injinji socks - so you can get a bit of separation all day, and toe spreader socks which I wore at night for awhile:

https://www.amazon.com/Comfy-Alignment-Spacer-Relaxing-Comfort/dp/B001VDMV5M

Get medical grade compression stockings. 20-30 should be enough, but you can go higher. I have 30-40 but they take like 10 minutes to put on.

Measure your calf since they are sized according to your calf and not your foot. http://compressionsocks.pro/content/medical/images/Jobstformen20-30.jpg

Here's some cheapo ones https://www.amazon.com/Compression-Flight-Maternity-Athletics-Travel/dp/B01JZ8ELMU/ref=sr_1_3_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1483022965&sr=1-3&keywords=compression+grade+stockings

I used to buy Futuro from drugstore.com, they're pretty good. Amazon has them for both men and women. https://www.amazon.com/Futuro-20-30-Dress-Socks-Black/dp/B0057D826Y/ref=pd_sbs_121_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0057D826Y&pd_rd_r=8HA423HEY08ZPXQVFKKW&pd_rd_w=zx1sl&pd_rd_wg=F1ilV&psc=1&refRID=8HA423HEY08ZPXQVFKKW

There are two items in life you never go cheap on: footwear and a mattress.

Most professionals that stand on their feet that long everyday invest in a solid pair of professional shoes (ie: dansko) as a way to prevent varicose veins, spider veins, foot, ankle, and lower back problems. I cannot overstate the importance of getting good fitting, comfortable shoes. See if there are any custom fit shoe places in your area (ie: Good Feet Store or The Footworks Store) and get properly fitted.

A second recommendation I would have is to get yourself a nice pair of gentle compression stockings. Even as a man I wear them (who lifts up your pants during work and would ever notice them?) and they are a god-send. Dat feeling of taking them off at home never gets old. http://www.amazon.com/Fytto-Style-Travel-Compression-15-20mmHg/dp/B005Z5WDDW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1405912950&sr=8-3&keywords=support+stockings

Finally, since you'll be on your feet more and in professional shoes the uncomfortable idea of foot sweat and foot fungus needs to be discussed. When you get out of the shower in the morning, thoroughly dry your feet and in between your toes. I'd recommend spraying some gold-bond foot spray between your toes prior to putting on your socks.
http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Bond-Spray-Powder-Fresh/dp/B00B4CYRHA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405913099&sr=8-2&keywords=gold+bond+foot+spray

OK, well the good news is that a lot of POTS treatment and MCAS treatment are things in your control. Have someone buy you zyrtec and some compression stockings and see if it helps. It's what the doctor will have you do anyway, and you don't need a prescription, so may as well try it now. It's not like it's bad for you. Wear the stockings during the day and take them off at night. There are waist-high ones as well as knee high ones.

https://www.amazon.com/BriteLeafs-Compression-Stockings-Pantyhose-Therapeutic/dp/B00I8YBMY8/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1491007226&sr=8-3&keywords=compression%2Bpantyhose%2B20-30%2Bmmhg&th=1

And start drinking salt water.

"I like the big booties and I cannot lie."

On my Diet & Health list there are a pair of support socks I would love! Thank you kindly for the contest.

These are the type of stockings I mean.

Lunch box would be a good idea! Clinicals are typically 8 to 12 hours, so a lunch box and a good water bottle would be a nice gift.

'Course! The socks are these ones (which I know look sketchy, but either they're working well for me or I'm suffering from a damn good placebo effect). The watch is this one (or, sort of. the watch itself is the same, but it has a velcro strap -- which is unexpectedly super helpful), and the scrubs are these (top and bottom) -- they've got the right amount and placement of pockets, they're comfortable, they come in a buttload of colours.

I got these for my cross-country vacation. Super comfortable, and a bunch of compliments!

http://www.amazon.com/Compression-Socks-Womens-Stockings-Ladies/dp/B002SGW8FY/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1372142333&sr=8-8&keywords=compression+socks+women

they are like really tight knee high stockings. they help with circulation, prevent ankles from swelling when your on your feet all day, prevent vericose veins, etc. when i dont wear them to work, my calves and feet are all achy, but when i wear them i am pain free!

heres the wikipedia. it explains a little better how they work.

Socks with butterflies sound so adorable! My hubby got me this in white with hearts. Turning heads everywhere I go run in them!

Littman cardiology stethoscope and comfortable shoes. You can also get cool compression socks that have medical stuff on it.

Compression Socks (7 Pairs)15-20... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DYKNDL3?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I got these. They go over the knee and are only light compression (15-20). That’s what my doctor recommended. I found the sizing chart to be quite accurate, just FYI.

These are my favorites: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M104O35/ref=twister_B018VHSPWS

I use these compression socks. They work well and are so cute. Not too difficult to get on. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DYKNDL3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_TEhRBbABWVY7M

I was told I need surgery as well. But I went to a Physical Therapist (for a completely different issue) and she showed me how to stretch my bunion toe. She said it's really important to maintain as much movement as possible. She also showed me how to tape my toe using KT tape while running, and to avoid hills which can aggravate it. I where spacers and orthotics (in my work shoes too), and when I get home I wear spacer socks. Wear wide shoes too. That helps relieve the pressure on the joint.