Some occupations require you to stand and/or sit for more than 10 hours, and being a medical practitioner is one of them.
Standing and sitting for long periods takes a heavy toll on the legs. It wears out your leg muscles and may also result in venous problems. If you are a nurse, you know how laborious your occupation is. Whether you are on a shifting schedule, on-call, or a private nurse, levels of stress on your legs vary.
As nurses and healthcare professionals, you may need good support while you are on duty due to the nature of your work, as mentioned. There are compression gears recommended for an occupation that is stressful on the legs, feet, and even at the lower back.
You may be wondering, “are compression socks good for nurses?” Will it help you ease fatigue on your lower extremities and other problems? The easy answer there is, “YES!”
1. How Do Compression Socks Work for Nurses
Sitting and standing for extended periods may be a health hazard. Aside from muscle fatigue, leg cramps, pain, and swelling, there is also a risk of developing varicose veins. These may also affect mental alertness, which can be precarious as you do your rounds.
Before proceeding, here is what happens to the legs being in one posture for extended hours. Blood circulation flows one way within the blood vessels. As blood pumps from the heart, it travels in the veins throughout the body. Now, veins tend to dilate over time; thus, blood pooling may occur, which leads to these occurrences:
If not immediately addressed, it may lead to other health risks, as mentioned earlier.
So what do compression socks do for nurses? Compression socks simply provide muscular support by applying pressure on specific areas in the ankles and legs. The compression helps the muscle tissues squeeze the blood vessels, which helps prevent dilation.
The purpose of compression socks for nurses, either while standing or sitting for long periods, will decrease the effects of fatigue at the lower extremities. It will also avoid the growth of both spider and varicose veins.
2. Benefits of Wearing Compression Socks for Nurses
For medical and healthcare workers to be efficient in their work, nurses need to get all the help they can get while on duty. Wearing compression socks will maintain good leg health that will help you walk and stand with ease.
Wearing compression socks will:
a.) Inhibit the risk of developing venous problems like spider and varicose veins. Worse comes to worst; when venous issues are not addressed in the early stages, it can lead to DVT or deep vein thrombosis. This is why it’s necessary for nurses, and even doctors, wear compression socks or stockings.
b.) Decrease swelling. Swelling legs and feet is such a discomfort. You wouldn’t want to go through this day in, and day out every single time you are at work. Wearing compression socks or sleeves for nurses will provide the comfort you need to go through your shift with little to no aches at your legs and feet.
c.) Help in muscle recovery. Compression socks boost muscle recovery at a faster pace. Even when you’re at home, it would be advisable to wear compression stockings to help with blood circulation.
d.) Assist in lymphatic drainage. When there is swelling, expect that the fluid is not circulating. Pressure coming from the socks encourages the lymphatic system to push the fluids within your extremities.
e.) Ease ankle and foot pain. When there is poor blood circulation and swelling, expect pain at your ankles and feet. As already mentioned, compression socks provide ample support to prevent aches and pain that will affect your work.
f.) Lessen lower back pain. If you are wearing compression stockings that run up to your abdomen, this will provide comfort to your lower back. It will alleviate stress and discomfort as it supports that region of your back.
3. Key takeaway
Compression socks are suitable for nurses and healthcare workers due to the fact that the workload requires extended periods of sitting and standing. Wearing compression stockings, socks, or sleeves will definitely provide the needed comfort. Aside from that, these support socks can also be worn at home, boosting blood circulation and muscle recovery without the stress.
Working with ease is crucial, especially in the medical field, since it deals with a lot of stress due to the nature of service. So as much as possible, never disregard your health so you can be as efficient as you have to be.
Unisex
8-15 mmHg