Why Retail Workers Should Wear Compression Socks

Everyone should work retail at some point, especially during the holidays. The retail profession teaches valuable life lessons — not least of which are incredible levels of patience and tolerance. Working retail comes with its benefits too, but there’s an aspect of the job that is completely overlooked by anyone who hasn’t done it. Being on your feet all day hurts your feet and legs. You might be tempted to hold this against yourself. Maybe more exercise or youthful jubilance could overcome this pain. While those are both wonderful things, the pain you feel is basic physiology. Standing all day will lead to discomfort, so it’s normal that your feet hurt after working retail. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to combat the problem: wearing everyday compression socks. You might think compression socks are for a desk job, but they're actually among the best socks for standing long hours!

ARE COMPRESSION SOCKS HELPFUL FOR RETAIL WORKERS?

Every job has its challenges and complications. Jobs that have you standing all day and not doing significant cardio exercise tend to create blood flow issues. This applies to nurses, teachers and, as you already guessed, retail workers. Being on your feet for extended periods can negatively contribute to circulation in two ways.

Both problems are tied to gravity. The first is that your circulatory system has to work harder to return blood from your feet and legs to your heart. This can cause minor blood pooling around the calves, feet and ankles. It increases stress on the veins and can contribute to swelling, muscle fatigue, varicose veins, general soreness and foot and leg pain.

The second problem is stress on the arteries. When blood gets backed up in the veins, it can create increased blood pressure within the arteries. Over time, this increases stress and can contribute to arterial hardening.

Both of these problems are mitigated by compression support socks.

DO COMPRESSION SOCKS HELP WITH STANDING ALL DAY?

When you stand, blood has a hard time defeating gravity to go up the legs. Moving around helps manage this problem. When your leg muscles contract, they squeeze the veins. Much like squeezing a hose, this helps push the blood along the vessel. It also prevents some of the blood from falling down the veins in between heart beats (there are several other natural processes that aid this). Overall, muscle contractions are why retail workers won’t see as much pooling and swelling as a truck driver, but the amount of walking common in this job isn’t enough to fully overcome gravity. Retail workers are still prone to those negative side-effects of standing all day.

Compression socks gently squeeze the feet and legs. They offer the same benefits as a muscle contractions, but they do it persistently. When you’re stuck at a register, or otherwise unable to walk around, the compression socks are still hard at work. Compression socks plus a little walking are usually enough to overcome most of the stationary standing issues.

You might be wondering how many hours should you wear compression socks? For retail, they should be on when you're at work. Otherwise, feel free to take them off.

HOW TO PICK COMPRESSION SOCKS

What are the best compression socks for retail workers? They come in many shapes, sizes, pressures and styles. A retail worker won’t need the exact same compression socks specifications as workers who are sitting at a desk all day.

For retail work, lower compression levels and graduated compression are usually best. Because when you’re standing all day, the issues are primarily affecting your feet and are less severe in the upper legs. With our graduated compression technology, Dr. Motion’s mild compression products are the perfect retail worker socks.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Overall, compression socks are great for retail work. The main benefits of compression socks solve circulation problems in the following ways:

• Reduce swelling

• Improve circulation to combat soreness, varicose veins and muscle fatigue

• Lower strain on blood vessels and reduce the risk of long-term health problems

BEST SOCKS FOR RETAIL WORKERS

When you’re ready to overcome feet and leg problems that ail you at work, explore the line of mild compression socks available from Dr. Motion. Our offerings range from knee high to ankle socks for men and women so you can find the perfect ones for you. You'll see that the list of who needs to wear compression socks includes almost everyone, and you'll be able to find the fun compression sock style you like!

Disclaimer: This article provides information solely for educational purposes, including but not limited to text, graphics, images, and other materials contained herein. This article is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.