Foot pain affects about 1 in 4 people worldwide. Whether it's caused by long hours on your feet, a sudden injury or a medical condition, foot pain can significantly impact your activity levels and make even basic movements feel burdensome.
Thankfully, there are several ways you can address your foot pain, one of which involves compression socks. Compression socks provide graduated compression to your legs and feet, promoting blood flow and preventing fluid from accumulating in your legs. If you’ve been dealing with foot pain, your doctor or physical therapist may have recommended compression socks to give your feet relief.
Whether you're an athlete, a nurse or just someone who spends a lot of time on their feet, compression socks can help make your feet feel more comfortable and less fatigued. Before wearing your compression socks, it’s important to understand how they work to target foot pain symptoms and boost your healing — especially when combined with other treatments like physical therapy.
How do compression socks help with foot pain?
Compression socks are hosiery designed to provide extra support and compression to your feet, legs, and ankles. They are often prescribed to ease foot and leg pain related to issues like venous diseases, lymphedema, plantar fasciitis, and neuropathy. Compression socks can also be used to prevent foot pain without these conditions, especially during exercise. A study showed that compression socks reduce muscle soreness related to exercise and limited inflammation.
Compression socks can help ease foot pain by:
- Improving blood circulation — Compression socks work by applying gentle pressure to the feet and legs, which helps to improve blood flow. This improved circulation helps reduce swelling and discomfort in the feet, making them feel more relaxed and less painful.
- Reducing swelling — Swelling is a common problem that people experience in their feet, especially after prolonged periods of standing or walking. Compression socks help reduce swelling by applying gentle pressure to the feet and legs, which helps to reduce the accumulation of fluid in these areas.
- Supporting the arches — Compression socks are designed to provide extra support to the arches of your feet. This support helps reduce the strain on the feet and reduces the risk of developing conditions like plantar fasciitis and other foot-related issues.
What else can you do to ease your foot pain?
Compression socks aren’t the only way you can ease foot pain. You can combine compression socks with the following treatments to help you manage your foot pain throughout the day:
- Resting — When your feet hurt, you should avoid activities that strain them; overexerting your feet can lead to further injury. You should rest your feet as much as possible. While you’re resting, you can also try icing your feet for short periods of time to restrict blood flow and limit your foot pain. While you aren’t resting, you should wear compression socks for extra support.
- Wearing comfortable shoes — Wearing shoes with good arch support can help reduce stress on your feet and ease pain throughout the day. Wearing comfortable shoes with compression socks can give your feet as much cushion as possible.
- Wearing orthotics — Your doctor can prescribe custom orthotics that provide additional support for your feet. Your orthotics can be molded according to your foot’s unique shape, distributing your weight evenly and preventing foot pain over time. You can combine your orthotics with compression socks to limit foot pain and maximize your foot support.
- Going to physical therapy — A physical therapist can design a personalized exercise program that targets specific muscles and joints in your feet that are causing you pain. These exercises can help increase flexibility, range of motion, and strength in the feet. Physical therapists can also use manual techniques such as joint mobilization and soft tissue mobilization to improve circulation, reduce muscle tension, and ease pain in your feet.
Alliance PTP is ready to help you find top-notch PT for your foot pain
While compression socks can help ease your foot pain, you may need the help of a physical therapist to help you get the results you need. At Alliance Physical Therapy Partners, we’re proudly bringing together physical therapy practices across the country to help people get the high-quality PT they need.
Want to see a physical therapist in person? We can put you in touch with an Alliance PTP partner that’s close to you and that can help you address your foot pain, even with compression socks.
Not keen on in-person PT sessions or not close to an Alliance PTP partner? No worries. We also offer effective and affordable virtual physical therapy through our Agile Virtual Physical Therapy platform.
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