Walk a mile in my socks - a teacher’s perspective on compression socks
When you hear the words compression socks, what comes to mind is probably something ugly and uncomfortable. In the past, that was the case, but not anymore! Manufacturers have come a long way in the departments of comfort and especially style. Compression garments come in leggings, pantyhose, thigh highs, a variety of knee high styles, wraps and arm sleeves. You don’t need your doctor to prescribe them to you - anyone who sits or stands for long periods of time throughout the day can benefit from wearing compression!
People in any profession could benefit from wearing compression socks. The first one that comes to my mind is teachers. Teachers spend the majority of their day on their feet in the classroom and then often sit for long periods of time working with individual students, grading papers and attending meetings. The teachers I know all have one complaint in common, their legs and feet hurt!
So, let’s meet Courtney, a teacher from Michigan who tried compression for the first time in both her classroom and on the field playing soccer.
Q: Tell me about yourself.
A: I am a Kindergarten teacher who primarily works on my feet. I am 30 years old and would consider myself fairly active. I like to go camping, hiking and play soccer. I also enjoy reading and cooking.
Q: How much of your day do you spend sitting and standing?
A: Typically, I am on my feet for most of my 8-hour work day. I would say about 90% of my day is spent on my feet. At times, I am working on the floor with children. Teaching Kindergarten is a very active job - gotta keep up with the little ones!
Q: How do your legs and feet feel after a typical work day?
A: Depending on the shoe I wear, my knees, feet and legs can feel very sore after an especially “active” day. I typically feel pain in the knees when I am on my feet for too long. I try to wear tennis shoes to work often, but I feel sometimes it’s not as professional so I often wear flats, boots, etc. I always wear cotton socks with whatever shoe I wear.
Q: Have you worn compression before?
A: No, this was my first time trying compression socks.
Q: How do your legs feel after wearing compression socks for a day?
A: I wore compression socks during a work day and loved them! At first, they felt a little tight and that wasn’t something I was used to. After an hour or so, I was used to the sensation and my legs and feet felt amazing. I felt “light” and almost energized. They were great!
Q: What did you think of the socks overall?
A: Overall, I would definitely recommend these socks to anyone who spends several hours a day on their feet! After some time, they were super comfortable and made my legs feel amazing throughout the day. They made my legs feel weightless and eased some of the pain I usually experience after a workday.
Q: You play soccer and wore compression for a game, what did you think of the athletic compression socks?
A: I also wore the athletic compression socks during a game of soccer and thoroughly enjoyed them. I really noticed that the “tightness” on my legs helped to make them feel light during the game. Usually, during soccer, I wear a cotton blend knee-high sock which is comfortable, but the compression really took it to another level. I did notice that the ease of putting them on was a bit difficult and could be especially difficult for older people wearing them for medical purposes.
The socks Courtney wore for work are the Stripe RejuvaSocks and for soccer, she wore the CEP Women’s Compression Socks. The socks shown in the image above were not worn by our teacher Courtney but are the Sigvaris Women’s Microfiber Shades in Pink Argyle.