Are (sports) compression stockings proven effective?

What is a compression stocking?

Simply put, you can compare the compression stocking with the compression stocking that one wears in case of thrombosis. A tight stocking, which ensures better blood circulation in the lower leg. Of course, the materials used are not exactly the same, the compression stocking is really made for sports, but the effect is similar. The compression stocking covers the entire lower leg. It has more compression around the ankle than just below the knee, so it helps with the heart's pumping function. By wearing compression stockings you get rid of the waste products in your lower legs more easily, so that less moisture remains during the effort. The muscles can thus occupy themselves with what they have to do, move.

When do you use compression stocking?

A compression stocking is worn as a precaution, or possibly when recovering from an injury. The group of runners who wear the stockings as a precaution is growing steadily. By enclosing the lower leg in a tight stocking, the calf muscles will 'flatter' less. It makes the tendons less mobile and will therefore reduce the load. It is also argued that the tensile force on the periosteum can be reduced by wearing a compression stocking. This is one of the causes of the well-known (and very painful) shin splints. The second group of runners uses the stockings when recovering from an injury. Due to the help in the pumping function of the heart, waste products will be removed faster. This mainly affects the amount of lactate in the blood.

The above claims have not yet been fully proven or rejected from science. People do experience benefits from wearing compression stockings, although the research results are not yet sufficient to draw conclusions from them. It has been proven that compression stockings have an influence on the degree of muscle soreness after a workout. This has to do with the production of the enzyme creatine kinase. The degree of presence of this enzyme in your blood shows the amount of muscle damage after an intensive workout. The lower the presence, the less muscle soreness one will experience.

Compression stocking or support socks?

You may have seen or heard it before; compression stockings come with and without a foot. The version without a foot is also called a tube or support socks. The stocking provides compression to both the foot and the lower leg, stimulating the removal of waste from the tip of your toes. The tube lacks compression around the foot. This is also the reason that the tube must be removed no later than 30 minutes after training/exercise, to prevent the foot from 'filling up' with waste products. However, the stocking can also be used after the effort to promote recovery.

How long should I wear compression stockings?

This depends a bit on what you want to use the compression stockings for. So you wear compression stockings for sports and flying during your sports sessions and flights. However, compression stockings to reduce and prevent conditions such as varicose veins and thrombosis, you will have to wear all day long. Probably for a long time.

The most important thing is that you only wear the compression stockings during the day and take them off when you go to sleep. At night, the pressure in the arteries is lower than during the day (when standing). The pressure that comes off the compression stocking can then become too high and impede the blood flow.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes