Compression therapy has been around for thousands of years, but modern-day compression socks and sleeves have only been around for a few decades. If you’re dealing with joint pain or swelling, compression products could stimulate healing and provide short-term relief. Let’s take a look at how compression sleeves work and who can benefit most from them.
How Compression Sleeves and Compression Socks Work
Compression sleeves, socks, and other products are designed to improve blood flow in the body. Your blood carries oxygen, which helps with healing and recovery. Once the oxygen from the blood cells has been used up, the blood travels back to the heart to get oxygenated again. Compression products put light pressure on your veins to encourage blood movement and get deoxygenated blood back up to your heart.
Think about what happens when you sip on a juice box. As it gets to the end, you might squeeze on the sides to push the juice up through the straw faster. Compression sleeves do the same thing to your veins.
Compression socks and sleeves can help your body recover after an injury or heal ongoing joint pain. They may not be a solution for everyone, but they offer affordable relief that may be worth a try!
Conditions That May Benefit from Compression Therapy
Many runners and athletes wear compression products while they’re training to help their muscles heal during and after a workout. But you don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from wearing a compression sleeve. Compression can help many forms of chronic pain, including joint pain, knee pain, ankle pain, muscle pain, elbow pain, arthritis, and more.
The key is to choose a compression product that matches up with where you’re experiencing pain. For instance, if you have pain in your hands or wrist, you may get a compression glove to stabilize your joints and boost blood flow. If you want some extra support from a leg workout, you may use a compression leg sleeve or a compression sock. There are tons of products on the market today, so you can choose the style that best suits your needs.
What to Do When Compression Sleeves Don’t Work
The people who get the most benefits from compression products are the ones who use them consistently and preventively. Nevertheless, these products may not help your specific type of pain. If you have an underlying issue that needs to be treated, address that first. Macomb Pain Management offers personalized and targeted pain treatment plans without surgery or long-term medications. Contact us at (248) 844-8281 to schedule a consultation and learn more about our treatment paths.
