The role of compression stockings can compression stockings thin legs

First, the role of compression socks

1. Compression stockings were first used in the treatment field

Compression stockings (medical) have been used in patients with chronic venous insufficiency decades ago, through the gradient pressure from bottom to top, from large to small, to improve venous blood return, reduce lower limb swelling and thrombosis. So what is the principle?

As we all know, the heart drives blood flow throughout the body. When the blood flows back to the veins through the arteries and capillaries, the power has been significantly attenuated, and the venous blood of the lower limbs back to the heart needs to overcome gravity to work. Will venous blood flow back? Hey, the human body is magical. There are usually double-valve-shaped valves in the venous blood vessels. When regurgitating from bottom to top, the valve sticks to the wall of the blood vessel without obstruction. Once standing When the venous pressure increases due to other reasons, the two valves will open to prevent the blood from flowing back in the vein.

However, standing or sitting for too long, the venous blood return of the calf will be slow, and you will feel swelling and numbness in the calf. However, patients with chronic venous insufficiency usually have symptoms such as slow blood flow in the lower limbs and valve insufficiency. The common one is varicose veins. At this time, applying a bottom-up pressure can promote the return of venous blood and at the same time give the valve A positive pressure helps to perfect the valve function, which is the function of compression stockings. Therefore, the main role of compression stockings in medical treatment is to promote venous return and prevent deep vein thrombosis.

Medical compression stockings have been proven to be effective for patients. So, in today's popular sports field, can it improve runners' sports performance, improve running performance, and relieve soreness and promote recovery as advertised by major manufacturers? What?

2. Can compression stockings relieve muscle soreness?

From the foregoing results, whether compression stockings can improve athletic performance is still controversial, so can compression stockings relieve muscle fatigue? Taking a full marathon as an example, each runner must run at least 30,000 steps to complete the course. In this process, the impact of each landing on the ground will cause the muscles to vibrate, and this vibration causes muscle damage and muscles. An important cause of fatigue. The compression effect of compression stockings reduces the swaying of the calf muscles during the whole running process, which can reduce the degree of muscle fatigue to a certain extent. At the same time, this external surrounding pressure also reduces the wearer’s proprioception of pain and can run. More smooth and natural.

Researchers at Massey University have found that compression stockings can reduce the delayed muscle soreness that occurs after 10 kilometers of fast running (the so-called delayed muscle soreness refers to the phenomenon of muscle soreness that occurs 24 to 48 hours after running). This study dramatically found that after running 10 kilometers, 93% of runners who did not wear compression stockings had delayed-onset muscle soreness, while only 14% of runners who wore compression stockings had the same soreness.

After putting on compression stockings, it looks like the calf is a bit thinner. This is because the body tissue is elastic, and the natural volume becomes smaller after being compressed by external force. Does this mean that the calf will become thinner? of course not. Because human tissues are elastic, after taking off the compression stockings, the calf will still change to its original shape. It is impossible to change the shape of the calf for a long time only by relying on a little external compression force. To make the calf thinner, there is only one way to consume the fat of the calf through exercise. If wearing compression stockings can thin the calf, then simply wear compression clothes, compression pants, thin arms, thin abdomen, and thin thighs. This is obviously impossible. Wearing compression stockings makes the calf look thinner and really makes the calf change. Being thin is completely two different things. Compression stockings do not have a mechanism to make the calf thinner.

Therefore, many people feel that their calves are beautiful when wearing compression socks, but this does not mean that the calves can really become thinner after wearing compression socks. If they really become thinner, it is also the effect of exercise, not the effect of compression socks. .