Compression socks

what do people think of compression running socks thinking of wearing them on sunday at edinburgh marathon

Comments

  • You'll look stupid and you may hate them if you haven't worn them before ? Plus I dont think their benefits have been proven yet.
  • Look at the picture-I don't think he need worry how they lookimage
  • Looks like Karen has just proven that they work-cos she says so
  • I wouldn't wear anything on race day I hadn't worn several times in training.
  • compression advisory advises you to put their socks in the basket.
  • loulabellloulabell ✭✭✭
    i want some socks to wear too-which are best NLR? am i allowed pink bows on mineimage
  • I would never wear compression socks when running, because the one possible thing in their favour hypothetically that they help squeeze waste products out of the muscle to help recovery also means the heart is pumping against a harder resistance to get the blood in when running. Just what I don't want.
  • I second what Steve C says, they are designed for recovery. I bought a pair and never use them, bit of an expensive impulse buy really.
  • I think Paula Radcliffe has helped make them popular by wearing them but then again she wore that nasal thing for years. Where are they now? In ten years time they will be a distant memory(compression socks). Wearing them post run as Steve says is a much better use.

    Loula-buy some nice running socks and then you can accessorise them yourself xx

  • They can help stabilise the muscles if you are worried about aggravating an existing calf injury - but ifs bad enough to need a compression sock you shouldnt be trying to run a marathon anyway.
  • Doesn't Paula also wear that titanium thingy ? Aah yes.

    http://www.phitenuk.com/
  • Just ran 11 miles wearing compression socks for the first time. Until today I always, ALWAYS, got stiff right calf on a long run inhibiting the later stages of my run and requiring icing afterwards. Today, same routine as always except for the socks. Ran freely the whole way, removed socks and just have the merest hint of tightness in the lower soleus, remarkable improvement. Coincidence? Long term improvement? Time will tell but I feel elated and right now I'm sticking with the socks. Oh, and re looking stupid, who gives a crap what anyone else thinks?
  • "Doesn't Paula also wear that titanium thingy ? Aah yes.
    http://www.phitenuk.com/"

    I'd quite happily wear a sombrero if it made me run as fast as Paula, who cares what people think. The thing is though, all these things are essentially gimmicks. It's very similar to the diet industry, there are loads of "wonder" products out there but they only provide minimal help (if indeed anything) and the real key is hard work. I use compression stuff for recovery if I'm feeling very sore or stiff, and it does help, but it won't magically make you a better runner
  • I think there's two threads here - 1) injury 2) performance. If somebody finds the socks help reduce the incidence of injury, whether while running or as a recovery tool, then that's all that counts. If they have a positive effect on injury thus reducing time sitting on one's arse then presumably that will have a knock-on benefit on performance. The key is for sure hard work, but you can only work hard if you're running in the first place. As a stand-alone performance enhancer, maybe it's snake oil, maybe it's not but again if it works for an individual that's gotta be all that counts, placebo or not.
  • I use compression socks for recovery and they do help a lot but I wouldn't run in them. Having said that  I did have calf problems a few months ago and wore them on a run once to see whether they would relieve it but they did not so I use them for recovery now. I use Nike DriFit and I love my pair.
  • I regularly had small, calf muscle strains. Since wearing compressoin socks 18 months ago I've had none.
    They work for me.

  • Another vote for socks here - tried to give them up in August and lasted about three weeks before injuring my calf again - now back in them and staying in them.



    I might look a t**t in the summer but I can still run - that's more important tome
  • I often got small calf muscle pulls from doing sprint triathlons in very cold weather. Coming off the bike to the run my legs were cold and more prone to seizing up. I wear compression socks now when racing and do feel they make a difference. Might just be the extra warmth, I don't know and I don't care. I alse wear them for recovery after marathons and ultras and they definitely help to reduce swelling. Last long race I did I kept them on for two days and had swelling and bruising round my knees above the top of the sock but none below.

  • I ran the Brighton Marathon this year and wore Compressport FullSocks for the first time on a long run and did not regret it. It is hard to tell how much pain I would have been in without them but they were not uncomfortable and my calf muscles did not cramp as much as I thought they would.

    It is not normally our advice to use new kit for the first time on race day but I did and it worked out. Well it didn't cause me any problems. We sell so many pairs of compression socks and have such good testimonials that we would say they do work and the science is solid.

    Check out the Compressport socks I used here: http://www.lansonrunning.com/brands/compressport/

  • you might be interested in this article which appeared today in Triathlete Europe

    http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2012/12/05/do-compression-socks-work/

    the general concusion is:

    "To a degree, if there’s no harm done – as long as it’s not too tight or irritating or causes blisters – then it hardly matters whether the benefits are in the athlete’s head or not."

    in other words, there's no conclusive evidence that they help performance but if you think it does and it's not harming you, carry on.  aka placebo effect.....image

  • I get mine from Aldi for £3.99 but I wouldn't spend £30+ on them. I think at that price the perceived 'cost vs benefit' would remove any placebo effect. image

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