1) You sit for long hours during the day at work

The calf muscles contract and pressurize the veins in your lower legs when you walk or are physically active, allowing blood to flow back to your heart. When you are sitting for prolonged periods of time, such as at work, our inactivity of our calf muscles makes this natural circulation less efficient, which can result in fatigue, blood pooling or swelling in our lower legs.

2) You stand all day at work

Movement encourages more blood flow back to the heart. Similar to sitting for prolonged periods, if we are standing long durations and are not using our calf muscles as much as we should, our natural circulation will be impacted. This is why many trade workers, cashiers, retail workers or any other workers who are required to stand for long hours without getting much movement become great candidates for use of compression stockings. The use of compression stockings among these workers can help them feel less fatigued and more energized at the end of their shift.

3) You Exercise

Compression stockings may not help you run faster or lift more weights at the gym, however, there have been studies that show wearing compression socks after exercise can reduce post-workout muscle soreness and help speed recovery for your next workout.

4) You Travel

It doesn’t matter if you are traveling by plane, train, car or bus, sitting in a seat for a long time makes it hard to for our calf muscle to pump blood and fluid against gravity. Sitting for prolonged periods also puts you at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis or blood clots. Wearing compression stockings can help prevent this and minimize foot/ankle swelling.

5) You want to treat or prevent certain circulation-related problems

Some of the most common reasons a physician may recommend compression stockings to a patient include chronic venous insufficiency, spider veins, varicose veins, pregnancy-related edema, or post-surgical leg edema. The pressure that medical grade compression stockings put on your ankles and legs compress the surface of the blood vessels, which help the veins in the legs to function properly and push blood back up against gravity. Ask your physician if compression stockings are right for you.