If you are one of the thousands of Canadians working from home due to the coronavirus, you’re probably spending more hours in chairs that weren’t designed for long periods of sitting. Unfortunately, it is possible that your leg health is at risk. Inactivity, just like air travel and standing for long periods can cause blood to pool in the leg veins, and issues ranging from varicose veins to blood clots may present themselves.
You can help prevent these effects by wearing compression stockings. Compression socks alleviate, swelling, pain and discomfort in the legs by increasing blood flow. Especially if you’re sitting all day, compression socks help to reduce the chances of blood pooling in your legs.
Compression socks are made to gently squeeze the veins in the legs, providing an added push they need to drive blood back to the heart. This is done by using gradient compression (tighter at ankle getting a little looser at calf).
Compression socks come in a large variety of colours, patterns, styles and strengths. Some lighter compression (8-15mmHg and 15-20mmHG) can be purchased over the counter but firmer compression (20-30mmHG and 30-40MMhg) need a prescription from a physician. Most insurance companies will cover some or all of the cost of the socks.
If we start wearing compression socks at a younger age we can help prevent leg problems in the future.
Read more information here: https://www.healthline.com/health/compression-socks-benefits