Health & Wellness Magazine HealthQuest Fall 2020 | Page 14

COMPRESSION SOCKS
COMPRESSION SOCKS:
Go With The Flow
BY: PAUL HICKEY, LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE
YOU’RE ON a vacation or business trip
and following the long plane ride, you
notice that your legs are tired, maybe
a little painful, and your ankles appear
larger than they were before takeoff.
The person sitting next to you, however,
appears fine. Why is this, you wonder?
It’s probably because of those colorful
socks they were wearing during the
flight. Chances are they were wearing
compression socks. Compression socks?
You mean grandma’s support hose? Gone
are those days. Now compression socks
come in a wide array or colors, designs,
and fabrics.
In addition to their
new modern look,
compression socks
are also growing
in popularity
amongst today’s
modern traveler.
The reason for this is based on evidence
that the use of compression socks
during prolonged travel can reduce a
person’s risk of developing a deep vein
thrombosis, or DVT.
Due to prolonged sitting during long
flights, the restrictive positions of our
legs and knees in airplane seats, and the
possibility of dehydration, a person’s risk
for DVTs—more commonly known as
blood clots—can greatly increase. A DVT
occurs most commonly in the deep veins
of the lower leg but can also occur in the
thigh or pelvis. The condition reduces
blood flow resulting in pain, redness, and
swelling. A person may also develop a
DVT but not have any symptoms. DVTs
become life threatening when a piece of
the clot breaks away and travels through
the bloodstream to the lungs, where it
can block a major vessel resulting in a
pulmonary embolism.
Compression socks can help to minimize
this risk by facilitating the flow of blood
up your legs and back to the heart.
Compression socks achieve this by
exerting pressure on the leg, therefore
decreasing the diameter of the vein and
resulting in an increase in the speed
of blood flow so clots are less likely to
form. Persons who are at an increased
risk for developing DVT include pregnant
women, smokers, and anyone suffering
from a condition that impairs blood flow,
just to name a few.
Regardless of whether you are at risk for
developing blood clots or not, the use
of compression socks while flying is a
fashionable and effective way to ensure
you maintain optimal health on your next
vacation or business trip. To be fitted for a
pair of compression socks, or if you have
any questions, please call HealthQuest
at 754-5944 or visit healthquestnl.ca to
book your appointment with one of our
trained members.
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