In the medical field, the daily norm for a variety of patients is compression socks. You'll spot a couple of pairs scurrying by you the next time you're at an airport.

So, what are compression socks, exactly, and why do they feel so nice? For people of every age, compression socks are a versatile, science-backed therapy to support various conditions.

What are compression socks?

While you may picture tight, white, knee-high knit socks back in the 80s that were the popular style, compression socks have actually come a long way.

For medical and athletic purposes, compression socks (or stockings) are made of snug-fitted stretchy spandex that gently squeezes the skin and muscles under it.

What are socks for compression and how do socks for compression work?

First of all, a little biology lesson: Your heart pumps blood through your arteries constantly. These vessels act like a hose, carrying blood to your entire body at high pressure and providing oxygen and other necessities to cells. This includes the arteries and vessels in your legs, of course, as well. Unfortunately, it is a bit more difficult to get blood, lymph and other fluids out of your lower limbs. Your veins and lymphatic system are not pressurized, which means that to move fluid back up your legs, they have to work against gravity. This is usually done by your calf and leg muscles, but they don't always work efficiently enough to prevent blood from pooling in the feet, causing that dreaded feeling of 'heavy leg.'

By helping to force blood and fluids out of the thighs, compression socks aid with circulation. By wrapping snugly across the ankle and tapering off in pressure towards the sock's top, they produce a 'pressure gradient'. This provides improved venous pressure and reduces swelling and increased exhaustion during a hard day of work or exercise.

Compression Socks' Benefits:

Improving the Supply of Blood

By way of veins, the circulatory device pumps blood from the heart to other tissues. When the muscles relax, the blood recirculates back to the nucleus. This mechanism may be impaired if you have vein disease, causing inadequate circulation. Compression socks imitate your muscles' capacity to transfer blood back to the heart from the lower legs, improving blood supply across the body.

You're exercising:

Realistically, it's not possible that wearing compression socks can shave minutes off your half-marathon time or allow you to squat that additional 20 pounds. Post-exercise healing and reducing soreness is what compression will assist with. Studies have also shown that wearing compression socks during exercise and rehabilitation will lessen muscle soreness in the legs.

You're stuck at work all day:

Having to wait all day is destroying you. At first, this might sound alarmist, but as you consider the human body and how we were meant to function and walk, you can see how being parked in a chair can drain the entire life out of you, and when you mature, seriously restrict your movement and posture. It has been proven to eliminate or decrease swelling and venous blood pooling in the legs and feet. Wearing compression socks is no joke.

You Are Traveling:

When we discussed how sitting for long hours will allow blood to pool in your legs, recall earlier? The same result may be had when flying long distances in an aircraft. Your chance of experiencing deep vein thrombosis or blood clots is raised by prolonged sitting while flying. A perfect tool to avoid this is to use compression treatment. Even when you hit your destination, it will help keep your legs feeling fresh-no kidding!

Reduces Swelling of Legs:

Swelling does not sound like a big concern, but it may be very uncomfortable to collect fluid in the legs and suggest a severe medical disorder such as CVI. Blood vessels may be broken from strain, contributing to ulcers and potential infection.

Compression socks can be used periodically for better performance. Before you get out of bed, you can bring them on first thing in the morning. Gravity sets in and compromises blood supply as you get up. Wearing stockings can help hold the valves in the correct place during the day and encourage safe blood circulation.

Compression stockings avoid the deposition of fluid that may alleviate discomfort from swelling.