Sock

[Marie1958]

Question is this someone used compression stockings to prevent swelling? did it help?

 

[David]

Interesting question - I haven't seen this problem out there yet - do your legs swell if you walk all day? Or are you thinking of your aeroplane flights?

 

[Delphinoula]

I wore compression socks short ones and they helped me.

 

[Iriebabel]

I have knee, nerve issues in my legs and although I wear a heavy metal brace other than the normal swelling I did not feel that I needed compression socks.

I would recommend you speak with your doctor/physio on how the long daily walks might affect you and if you even need to take them. Don’t mean to be a kill joy but although it’s great to get regular advise from individuals a lot happens in the body that has longer term effects and migght be based on each person;’t individual medical issues better to be safe than sorry. It can be as simple as just making a phone call to the doctors to pose the question and may not need an actual office visit.

 

[Easel]

I walked Ponferrada to Santagio in Sept. 2018. I wore Compression Socks on the flight there and every evening after walking. I had significant lower leg swelling and the socks helped a lot.

 

[Helen1]

Are you planning to walk in them or use them for recovery? I used to use compression tights overnight for recovery when I was doing triathlon training years ago. Not sure if the effect was real or just psychological but I, like most people, felt better after using them. I don't think the effect was big enough to outweigh the disadvantages of carrying them on a camino/wearing outside the privacy of our own home! Unless you've got a specific reason to wear compression socks then I wouldn't bother, I know they are trendy, particularly the calf compression sleeves, but after a tough couple of days on the camino I suspect you're more likely to strain yourself trying to get them onto stiff legs than reap the benefits of improved circulation.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Question is this someone used compression stockings to prevent swelling? did it help?View attachment 51963

Hi, Marie. . . .

Why are you asking the question? Is it because you have swelling? Or is it something that you heard might happen and are trying to avoid swelling?

The answer is specific to the person doing the answering. What might or might not be needed and work for one person, does not indicate that it will work for you.

Pro athletes and high performing amateurs use them sometimes because they are undergoing far higher exercise loads than those who live normal lives, even if they might engage in daily exercise. There is evidence that due to the amount of micro-tearing that their muscles experience, compression helps with recovery. Such is not the case even if you walk for 11 hour days at a routine pace.

Medical issues that have been diagnosed, like high blood pressure or liver and kidney issues, may create abnormal fluid retention. In such cases, compression garment may help with the swelling but will not prevent it.

Normal swellings can happen due to walking or sitting with legs dangling downward creating dependent edema (swelling). This goes away with laying down and slightly elevating the legs. Even laying down periodically during the day with legs slightly elevated will help reduce the end-of-the-day puffiness.

For the normal swelling that occurs while working out as part of a daily routine (not pro or serious amateur competitors) or walking long days, another factor that comes into play with that is hydration levels. If you allow yourself to go into a state of dehydration, the body reacts by allowing fluid to retain itself in tissues as a defense. So, although it seems contrary, drinking sufficient water will eliminate this type of swelling. In these cases, electrolyte supplementation -- even with a lot of sweating -- does not help much; to the contrary, it is far too easy to take too much which will actually decrease the ability of water absorption in the gut which will make swelling worse.

Do not misunderstand, electrolytes are important and sometimes beneficial and will help increase water absorption by the gut if the concentrations are correct, but it takes a very small concentration of glucose and salts to achieve this, and most of the time can be taken care of by normal snacking.

The problem is that there is no indicator that will tell you when and how much to drink. Thirst means your already dehydrated so that doesn't work as a signal. The best thing is to try and gauge your exercise load (sweating, rapid breathing -- especially through the mouth), the temperature (hot = more seating and drying out of mucous membranes) and frequency of water intake.

I never tend to wait and drink a lot at one time. I am constantly sipping as I walk; if its warmer and I'm sweating a lot then I am taking more frequent and longer sips; I do the opposite when it is cooler and the hiking is easy. It's easier to do with a hydration reservoir since the water tube is right 'there' to grab, but if you can reach a water bottle, you can do the same: Just slow down and keep watch on your path so you do not trip . Many folks use an adapter on water bottles which allows you to drink through a tube, which is a similar idea to that on an hydration reservoir.

In the above normal walking situations while hiking many miles during the day, most folks do not experience significant swelling. Like me, compression garments or socks make no difference. If there is some increased swelling, increasing fluids and elevating feet for a while are effective solutions.

 

[Geodoc]

My wife used one, and it helped (a lot!). Long story short, she was in an accident that shattered her ankle (along with 18 other bones), so she had a special need for one. As part of her recovery, she decided to walk the Camino (after watching "The Way").

By the time she started her Camino, she could only walk 6-7 miles (10-12 km) per day; any further was too much, but she managed to do so by using a compression sock. The first day (SJPdP to Valcarlos) she did not wear the compression sock, and her ankle swelled up so bad she was ready to quit (that last half-km to Valcarlos was the killer!).

Between ibuprofin, icing it (with a blue freezer block we found in the municipal albergue), keeping her foot elevated, and the compression sock, she was able to cross the Pyrenees the next day. Anecdotal evidence, so YMMV.

 

[alaskadiver]

My feet (not my legs) always swell from the heat and walking long distance. Heck, they swell just from the heat in tropical climates. I've never used compression socks but started trying them at home for my plantar fasciitis. They seem to help a lot. But I wouldn't walk in them because they are just too constricting and aren't made for hiking.

 

[RJM]

I love compression socks and I wear them when running, hiking, walking and anytime I have to be on my feet for long periods of time. I wore them quite frequently while walking the Camino. I have found that while on flights, especially long ones, they help tremendously. Almost no feet swelling.
They do come in different measures of compression if you are concerned they may be too tight.
I first learned of them and first wore them several years ago after an ankle break and going to physical therapy. My physical therapist recommended I wear them. They weren't as available as they are now, and were much more expensive then. They also look cooler now, coming in many color combinations.

 

[Jacobus]

I don’t know if this will be helpful or not. I have arthritis in both thumbs and get the most relief from wearing compression gloves. I am not sure how that translates to swelling in the legs or even if it does. The secret for me and the swelling/pain issue is not to wear the gloves all the time.

 

[Stivandrer]

I have had one day only of a hard, hot day´s walking that resulted in swollen calves, ankles and feet.
I deduced it to be a circulation problem and donned compression calf leggins and feet up and some extra hydration, and it seemed to solve it...
a week after , I lost the set, and now only on m7y back on the floor, when arriving in the dorm and rest my legs elevated on a chair for some time, and the swelling usually goes away...
However, I have been warned against wearing compression stockings during the night, do not the true logic behind this medical advice !

 

[katie@camino]

In these cases, electrolyte supplementation -- even with a lot of sweating -- does not help much; to the contrary, it is far too easy to take too much which will actually decrease the ability of water absorption in the gut which will make swelling worse.



The problem is that there is no indicator that will tell you when and how much to drink. Thirst means your already dehydrated so that doesn't work as a signal. The best thing is to try and gauge your exercise load (sweating, rapid breathing -- especially through the mouth), the temperature (hot = more seating and drying out of mucous membranes) and frequency of water intake.

[

Whoah...mind blown!

 

[camino07]

Since I started wearing calf compression skins I have had no tendinitis or swelling. However my feet do swell on the long haul flights from Australia and I can't stand the restriction of compression socks.

 

[GingerHaddad]

Question is this someone used compression stockings to prevent swelling? did it help?View attachment 51963
I am 65 and walked last 114k of CF in September. My daughter is a doctor and recommended I wear compression socks on my flights AND while walking to prevent fatigue and ensure good circulation. I thought they worked extraordinarily well and took away any nagging concern about PE blood clots. Under them I wore short Smartwool sock liners. No blisters no foot issues of any kind. Buen Camino