Should I Wear Compression Stockings?

Do your legs swell sometimes? Have you ever considered wearing compression socks? Are you seeing targeted ads on social media or in your inbox from sock companies enticing you to buy their compression stockings?

Well, YDF SUPER LISTENER, Amanda M. did! 

We got a message on Instagram from @akmargie asking about compression socks, she specifically asked- “It seems they used to be marketed to people with medical issues and my grandma. Now they’re marketed for every leg related thing in cute patterns and colors. I’m always curious where the line is between clever marketing and actual science.”

In this episode, Your Doctor Friends explain WHY people experience swelling in their legs, HOW compression socks help to treat leg swelling, WHEN to use compression socks, and for WHOM will they work best, and to help with WHICH symptoms!

And, BONUS! We have a little curbside consult with an expert in Exercise Physiology (and future guest on Your Doctor Friends) to give their two cents on whether compression socks aid in performance for runners and other athletes!

So, with festival season coming up, you asked, we answer, “should I be wearing compression socks”? 

Today’s resources include:

A Cleveland Clinic article titled “Everything You Need To Know About Compression Socks” from August 2023.

A 2020 review article in the journal Phlebology titled “Diagnostic approach to lower limb edema”.

A 2021 Cochrane review titled “Compression stockings for preventing deep venous thrombosis in airline passengers”.

A 2018 Cochrane review titled “Graded compression stockings for prevention of deep vein thrombosis”.

A 2019 small study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport titled “Wearing compression socks during exercise aids subsequent performance”.

A 2017 Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center article titled “Study reveals compression tights don’t help runners reach finish line”.

A February 2024 Wirecutter article titled “The 5 Best Compression Socks for 2024”.

And… the Wikipedia page for “compression stockings”. 

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