From injuries and athlete’s foot to fallen arches and ankle spurs, here’s what medical compression socks can do for you.
Medical compression socks are great for improving circulation and supporting the muscles in your lower legs. On top of all that, they can also be used to treat and prevent your annoying and painful foot conditions. Treating everything from swollen and inflamed tendons to foot fungus and more, compression socks help you get better and stay that way. So let’s take a look at the 5 most common foot issues and how using the right pair of compression socks can make all the difference in your recovery.
- Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is when the tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot to connect your toes to your heel bone, called the plantar fascia, becomes inflamed. This can happen for many reasons, but the main cause is repeated stress to the bottom of the foot from exercise such as running, ballet dancing, jumping, and aerobics. The most common symptom of plantar fasciitis is a stabbing pain near your heel. It is important to note that this condition can also be caused by consistent, prolonged standing. The pain from plantar fasciitis is strongest in the morning due to the lack of stretching and use overnight.
This condition can make it painful to walk and treatments include physical therapy exercises, night splints, and compression socks. Compression socks can lower the pain caused by plantar fasciitis by supporting the muscles and ligaments in your foot, decreasing the amount of stress and weight on the injured tissue. They also help with recovery, as compression socks help to treat swelling caused by the inflammation in your foot. Additionally, plantar fasciitis socks can even reduce the pain caused by nightly disuse when you wear them to sleep. Be sure to consult your doctor before deciding when, and for how long, to wear your socks.
- Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s foot, or tinea pedis, is a contagious fungal infection that starts on the skin of the feet and can spread to the toenails and hands. This condition happens when a type of fungus, called tinea, begins growing on the feet. This is common in athletes as the fungus thrives in warm, moist environments like sports shoes, team showers, and locker rooms. The symptoms of athlete’s foot are itching, stinging, and burning between your toes and on the soles of your feet, peeling and raw skin in the same areas, itchy blisters on your feet, and toenail discoloration.
The most common way to treat athlete’s foot is through antifungal creams that are easily found in most pharmacies. This healing process can be sped up by medical compression socks with moisture wicking technology as they remove the moisture the fungus needs to survive and spread. Wearing athletic socks like these are also a great way to avoid getting athlete’s foot altogether as they should keep your skin too dry for the fungus to develop and grow.
- Heel Spur
A heel spur, sometimes called a bony protrusion, is a calcium deposit that can develop on the bottom of your heel where the plantar fascia tissue connects. This bone segment can grow as long as a half inch, causing both heel pain and plantar fasciitis. These calcium deposits can occur in older individuals, those with diabetes, and excess weight. Runners who are practicing on hard surfaces or those wearing poor fitting or old shoes can also get heel spurs. The most common symptoms are recurring plantar fasciitis, persistent heel pain, and other chronic inflammation issues.
Treating heel spurs takes a combination of anti-inflammatory medications, orthotic shoe inserts, and compression socks. Medical compression socks help by reducing the swelling and stress around the protrusion, giving your foot a chance to heal. Those who get heel spurs are likely to get them again, so wearing compression socks regularly after the painful bone segment has gone away can reduce the risk of recurrence. This is because they support the heel and surrounding foot to lower the stress that causes these spurs to form.
- Fallen Arches
The arch in your foot is made up of multiple tendons in your foot and lower leg, they pull together in different ways to form the arch itself. Fallen arches are when those same tendons are not pulling together or just not pulling together enough. The resulting stress on your foot muscles can cause inflammation, swelling, and chronic pain. Fallen arches can be caused by injuries, obesity, arthritis, muscular disease, and genetics. It’s symptoms are foot pain around the arch and heel, swelling on the bottom of your feet, difficulty standing and moving your toes, back and leg pain, and rapid foot fatigue.
There are a lot of ways to treat and strengthen your arches. The first is foot stretches and ankle exercises, there’s also orthotics, specialized shoes, and medical compression socks. Compression socks support your arches and improve your circulation. This treats and prevents the painful swelling that comes with this condition as well as helps you to avoid some of the muscle strain and resulting aches. As compression socks support the muscles throughout your lower leg, they help relieve the fatigue and strain in the surrounding leg muscles to improve mobility and reduce pain.
- Ankle Injury
There are many different types of ankle injuries, the most common are sprains, pulled muscles, twists, and rolls. When the ankle is injured, it’s hard to stand, walk, and go about your daily life. The right exercises and protective gear can help you prevent injury to this important joint while helping you reach your fitness goals. Ankle injuries are most commonly caused by athletic activity such as sports and exercise, but can also be caused by arthritis, age, and simply stepping wrong. The common symptoms are pain, swelling, discoloration, and inflammation.
Treating and avoiding ankle injury starts in the muscles themselves. Stretching and exercising the joint regularly will help strengthen and protect the muscles in this area. Compression socks are also great for the treatment of ankle sprains and rolls. This is because they improve circulation to combat swelling and pain. And they can even help prevent injury as they keep your muscles in alignment as you move. The even pressure added by compression socks promote natural and healthy movement to stop your muscles from getting twisted or torn.
Your feet, ankles, and legs do a lot to keep your body healthy and your plans on track. Keep them healthy by using compression socks right and treating every foot condition to the best of your abilities. Medical compression socks help strengthen your muscles, improve circulation, and promote natural movement to keep your heart, legs, feet, and ankles functioning at their best. Get your first pair today and start on your way to a healthier future.
