Compression socks for painless running

A couple of years ago I tried on some compression socks, just to see what they would do for my running. I wasn’t quite sure what to think at the time, but came to realise later what massive benefit I have from wearing compression socks.

Compression socks are said to help you with your blood flow. With an improved blood flow, oxygen gets to your muscles quicker and toxins get taken away from the muscles, which helps you with your performance, will slow down fatigue in your legs and will also help with recovery.

I was told by several people that they benefitted from wearing the compression socks and that it helped them with their injuries or aches they normally had after running. My first impression when wearing them was not the positive, eureka feeling I was hoping for. I normally didn’t have aches and it was very hard to tell if the socks did anything for me.

The manufacturer stated that your legs would feel beter than without them, but how could I test this? I felt good after my run, but who was to tell I wouldn’t have felt the same way without the socks on?

I continued wearing them on and off, but would mostly stick to the low socks I knew and loved. It wasn’t until later on, after I had a knee injury and I was having trouble getting back into running longer distances that I thought I would try the compression socks. To my surprise that run went a lot better than any of my runs at that time. I tried it out a couple of times with and without the compression socks in the following weeks and I really noticed the difference in how my legs felt during and after the run.

Less fatigue and no small aches, just like I was told before I got the socks, but was unable to really tell. Now it was clear to me though, there was a big benefit from the socks and I don’t run a long distance run without compression socks anymore.

I wear different brands of compression socks and it’s hard to say which ones are the best, but here are a couple that have been tested really well: