Compression Socks for Nurses and Shift Workers
Twelve hours on a hard floor, and the ache starts somewhere around hour eight. By the end of the shift your feet are hot, your calves are tight, and your ankles have quietly swollen into your shoes.
That is not weakness or bad shoes. Standing still is harder on your circulation than walking is. When you stand without moving much, the calf muscle stops pumping blood back up the leg, and gravity does the rest. Nurses, teachers, retail and warehouse staff, servers, stylists and surgical techs all end up in the same place.
What changes with compression
Graduated compression is firmest at the ankle and eases as it moves up, supporting the return of blood toward the heart. The difference most people notice is not during the shift, it is after. Legs that are not throbbing on the drive home, and feet that still fit their shoes at hour eleven.
Worn consistently it also helps manage the swelling that otherwise accumulates shift after shift, and supports healthy veins over a career spent upright.
What to wear
15-20 mmHg is the right level for most people on their feet all day. Firm enough to work, light enough to put on at five in the morning without a fight.
Move to 20-30 mmHg if you already have varicose veins, persistent swelling that is still there the next morning, or a physician who has told you to. If you are on your feet full time and pregnant, come talk to us.
Making them last
- Put them on first thing, before your feet have been on the floor. Easier to get on and more effective all day.
- Buy at least three pairs. They need washing after every wear, and the rotation makes them last.
- Wash in cool water, air dry. Heat destroys the elastic fibers that do the work.
- Replace every six months. A garment that has gone soft looks fine and does nothing. We keep your size on file and will remind you.
Buying for a unit
If you are outfitting a floor or a practice, call us. We will come measure your team on site rather than making twelve people guess their size off a chart.
Get measured once
Sizing runs on ankle and calf circumference, not shoe size. Measure at home or come in and we will do it, free with any purchase, in about twenty minutes. HSA and FSA eligible, no letter of medical necessity needed, so your pre-tax dollars cover it.
3809 Princess Anne Road, Suite 108, Virginia Beach. (757) 470-5661.