The market for compression stockings and socks has been growing steadily in recent years that many wonder if they need to wear one and for what purpose. Actually, compression stockings or socks were conceptualized as way of improving blood flow by way of compression therapy.
General medical practitioners recommend compression therapy for people who have been diagnosed as having poor blood circulation in the legs and feet. However, the type of poor blood circulation here refers to a condition, in which blood is prevented from flowing upward to complete the blood circulation process by going back to the heart.
Using Compression Socks or Stockings without Medical Supervision
Some people wear compression socks even without medical advice, usually as recommendations of family members or friends. However, their use in a medically supervised compression therapy involves periodic examinations by the attending physician or health care provider, who measures the size of swollen legs and ankles to monitor improvements.
That way, the medical professional will know if compression therapy, along with the prescribed medication, are working to improve blood circulation. If not, a doctor will consider other non-invasive treatments as well as make the patient take serious steps toward changing unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, binge eating and being sedentary most of the time.
Common Causes of Leg-Swelling and Nerve Pain?
In some medical cases, leg-swelling and muscle nerve pain is caused by a vascular disorder known as venous insufficiency. It’s a poor circulation condition in which the blood does not flow freely upward but instead form blood pools in leg veins. If this type of disorder is not treated properly, it could progress into a serious vascular disorder, including heart disease.
Although venous insufficiency generally happens to ageing persons, pregnant women, obese or overweight people living sedentary lifestyles. Some others develop venous deficiency as a genetically-inherited disorder.
If you’re contemplating on wearing compression socks or stockings because you are already feeling nerve pain and have noticed some swelling in your legs and ankles, consider making other lifestyle changes as well. Aside from ditching the smoking habit, exercise regularly and add more nutrient-rich food to your daily meals.
Essential Nutrients for Improving Blood Circulation
Nutrients, particularly nitrate can do wonders to your blood circulation because they promote the body’s production of a natural gas molecule known as nitric oxide. It’s a natural gas compound that acts as vasodilators, or blood vessel dilators that improve blood circulation by making the blood vessels open wider to allow blood to flow freely.
Some of the best examples of nitrate-rich food are cayenne pepper, beets, pomegranate, leafy greens and walnuts.
Other herbs and spices like celery, turmeric, ginger, onion, garlic and citrus fruits like berries and lemon, do not have high levels of nitrate but are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants strengthen blood vessel tissues to prevent swelling or inflammation that narrows the pathways for blood circulation.
In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, nitrate-rich herbs like ginseng, maca, tongkat ali and tribulus terrestris, are widely used to naturally improve blood circulation. While these herbs and spices may not be readily available in one’s location, nitric oxide supplements like RocketMan Naturals, combine the extract of such plants in their formulation.
