Compression socks and Running are perfect alibis for each other. Compression socks for running have taken the sports world by a storm and almost every athlete is running after the best compression socks.
Running is a highly rated and practiced exercise for keeping your body in a good shape. Running is an indispensable part of an athlete's routine. Running makes you stand at the receiving end of loads of perks ranging from faster muscle recovery, relaxation from the pain and much more.
No matter if you are a professional runner or a practitioner of running for personal health benefits, your legs will feel tired and achy. There are compression socks for running meant to provide you relief against the ill effects of running.
Research in the past has revealed that wearing compression socks for running not only provides relaxation from pain and swelling aroused while exhausting your muscles during running. But they also have proven results in making your muscles harder for longer durations. These marginalized benefits are welcoming when they are seen concerning increased efficiency.
What are compression socks for running?
Have you ever noticed someone wearing tight-fitting stockings on a plane? Or pregnant women wearing tight socks that are hard to get in? These are what we call compression socks, they are worn owing to a specific purpose and not only for fashion.
Men and Women Compression socks are crafted out of tight-fitting fabric and are meant to hug your legs and calves firmly. This will impart a gentle or considerable amount of pressure on your legs depending upon the pressure ratings of the compression socks for running used.
This pressure will keep a check on swelling, aching, blood clots, and various other problems that can be encountered when legs are worked for long.
How compression socks for running work?
You must have noticed athletes wearing thigh-high compression socks or knee-high compression socks while running.
This must have made you wonder:
- Why have they put such stocking on?
- Are they for only fashionable purposes or there's something notable behind it?
Well, compression socks for running are used to hasten the blood flow in your legs. While running the cells in your body consume oxygen at a much faster rate than normal.
Blood carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to different parts on the body and then back to the heart to complete one cycle. Now compression socks make this process more seamless by applying pressure on the veins. The pressure so applied reduces the circumference of the veins and thereby promotes blood circulation.
Wait, that's not all that you'll get from buying running compression socks while running a lot of lactic acid in the leg veins is produced. This lactic acid can lead to serious cramps, and thereby stopping your running streak for a while. Compression socks for running will delay the process of formation of lactic acid.
Graduated compression socks:
Graduated compression socks are an advanced class of compression stockings. They use the concept of application of gradually decreasing pressure. More precisely, applying most pressure where it is needed the most. Graduated compression socks are designed to exert the maximum pressure depending upon the compression ratings at the ankles. As the socks move upward the legs the pressure goes on decreasing. They effectively work to push the blood back from the ankles to the upward direction, making sure that there is absolutely no room for blood clots.
Looking at the Benefits of Compression Socks for Running:
Hastening oxygen delivery:
While running you are fast consuming your energy and oxygen needs to be supplied in the cells to generate energy. Compression socks for running ensure the increased delivery of oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the cells and back to the heart.
Increasing the blood circulation level in the body keeps the athletes up and running for longer and they feel less tired. The pressure so applied on the leg veins paves way for blood to flow through smaller circulatory veins, which simply means that blood will make it way back to the heart in a much faster way. Also, the possibility of pooling blood comes down canceling out the chances of getting blood clots.
Fastens the muscle recovery process:
Your muscles are almost crying in pain after a long race or a marathon, you must pay proper attention to the persistent recovery of your calf muscles otherwise it can affect your efficiency.
While you are in a race, you are all pumped up with adrenaline and you push your limits, but once the race is over suddenly every step hurts! You barely can walk.
Men and Women Compression socks for summer running can help you get over the fatigue and soreness much faster. You should look to wear compression socks for running while you are in a race. Not only while running but wearing them post the race will stimulate the recovery process ultimately translating into your performance.
Proven protection against cramps:
Cramps are something every athlete must have faced at some point in their career. They are very painful and disgusting.
Cramps are experienced when muscles are overworked. Cramps are nothing but involuntary muscle contractions occurred due to the overuse of the muscles. This is usually experienced in the calf muscles for runners.
Using compression socks for running can delay the exhaustion of the calf muscles significantly by ensuring the constant flow of oxygen-rich blood, and keeping a check on the lactic acid buildup.
Reduce muscle oscillation:
Muscle oscillation is the extent of shakiness experienced by the muscles. Often known as 'muscle jiggle', it is nothing but the rate at which the muscle moves while in action.
Experts are of the opinion muscle oscillation, in the long run, can provide a sufficient base for muscle soreness (DOMS). Moreover, the greater the rate of oscillation the more likely you get injured or experiencing swelling. Compression socks for running, precisely graduated stockings help diminish the rate of muscle oscillation. Hence you are advised to get the best compression socks.
Safeguard against shin-splints:
Shin-splints is something mostly encountered by athletes and dancers, it is a condition the main bone of your leg tends to ache like hell.
It can be on account of over-exhaustion of the muscles or change in the training routine.
Those athletes who have suffered from shin-splints know how painful it is run while suffering from shin-splints.
You must have heard about various methods of curing shin-splints like applying ice packs, raising the legs in the air, and so on.
But buying compression socks for running can prevent you from suffering this pain and halt in the training process. Compression socks have proven results in delaying the occurrence of shin splints. Moreover, using compression socks for running will endure speedy recovery from shin splints.
Diminished Lactic Acid:
When you exercise or run, your body creates a waste product called lactic corrosive. When the lactic acid buildup stays in your muscles, you will feel irritated when you get up the following morning. Most sprinters are troubled with this issue.
Fortunately, the tightening of compression socks can diminish this irritation and help to keep it from occurring in any case.
Other worth mentioning Benefits of compression socks for running:
- Knee-high Compression socks for summer running add an extra layer of protection from the wear and tear. They protect your legs from the abrasion and scratches that you might attract in the absence of compression socks for running.
- Compression socks for swelling are the ultimate flag-bearers when it comes to prevention against swelling and recovering from it.
- They give you a cool look if you have opted for colorful compression socks or fashion compression socks.
- They provide you with warmth in chilling weather.
How to choose the best pair of Running Compression Socks:
When it comes to the selection of the appropriate match for you, it requires a bit of research work and patience at your level. As there are a plethora of options available and to a new person they will all look almost identical.
However, you must pay equal emphasis on factors like price, material, size, type, suitability, compression ratings, and fitting before making any investment in compression socks for running.
You may consider the following check-list before buying a pair of running compression socks:
Note: this list is only for suggestions, you don't need to strictly follow it. It will keep changing from person to person. For example, the qualities of Men's running compression socks, won't be the same as of the female counterparts.
- It is advised to have graduated compression socks as they are more precise in their work. Though they will be a bit costly than the normal ones, you will be more than willing to spend those extra bucks when you are receiving multiplied benefits.
- Check the cushioning around the impact points, such as toes, head of the foot, and the Achilles territory and search for creases that may arise problems.
- Be clear in your judgment whether to choose Knee-high Compression socks for summer running or thigh-high compression socks for running.
- Pay attention to the washing instructions. Generally, compression socks for running are not meant to be acted against fabric softener as that may affect the compression action of the socks.
- Choose the correct pressure ratings that are measured in mmHg. The higher the compression rating the higher the pressure incidence.
- Choose the fabric wisely according to the weather and your skin suitability. The material should be such that it doesn't discomfort you in any way.
FAQs:
- How long to wear compression socks after running?
As we know there are no visible side effects of wearing compression socks, and even if there are some of them, they are fairly insignificant. Experts advise wearing compression socks not only while running but post running too. Wearing them post running will do the real magic!
This is the time when your muscles aim to recover. You should wear compression socks for long after running. Maybe till 24 hours. The longer you will keep compression socks on the earlier your muscles will recover from the bad caused due to the race.
- What mmHg compression socks are best?
Choosing the right fitting socks must be your top priority. While running compression socks 20-30 mmHg is the most common and widely used compression socks for running, still, you can look for running compression socks 10-20 mmHg or running compression socks 30-40 mmHg according to the fitting you aspire for yourself. But most of the people are satisfied with the pressure incidence of using compression socks 20-30 mmHg.
- Should compression socks for running be tight?
Well, this depends on how you describe 'tight'. If according to you 'tight' is compression socks that firmly hug your calves then yes, compression socks for running should be tight fitting. When we say compression socks should be fairly tight otherwise they will be of no god, we don't intend that they should be choking your legs.
Conclusion
There got to be some concrete reason why athletes including famous sports personals are welcoming compression socks for running with arms wide open. While the benefits of compression socks just keep coming your way, ill-effects are hard to find.