Wellness hosiery, explained.

In today's market, there are many products that claim to have wellness properties but do not. We created this section to help educate you, as a consumer, on what you should be looking for when you are making a purchase for wellness hosiery, even if it means you may ultimately choose to make a purchase from another brand. We have purchased and tested various "graduated compression" products that were confirmed through lab testing to be non-compliant. Non-compliant products can cause pain, discomfort, and possibly pressure necrosis. We care more about your health than making a sale. If we can help you make an educated decision to purchase the best product for yourself, then we are happy!

We categorize wellness hosiery as legwear (i.e. socks, tights) that have benefits to users' health and wellbeing and can positively enhance your day-to-day life.

A sock can just be a sock, or a sock can be deeply technical. Different yarns deliver different benefits. Moisture-wicking yarns like our WickWell™ blend pull sweat away from the skin to keep feet dry. Yarn treatments add further function, like the Ultrafresh treatment that improves wicking and helps prevent odor. Most noticeably, construction matters: modern knitting machines can tighten one zone for support, cushion another for comfort, and loosen another for unrestricted stretch, all in a single sock. Combined thoughtfully, these details are what turn a basic sock into a wellness sock.

Graduated, or gradient, compression socks are tighter at the ankle (more compression) and slightly decrease in tightness moving up to the knee (less compression). This promotes blood flow up the leg. By compressing the surface veins, arteries, and muscles, they push circulating blood through narrower channels resulting in better circulation and various health benefits.

Compression is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), the same unit used for blood pressure. The higher the number, the firmer the squeeze.

Dr. Motion is purpose-built for the mild and moderate range. For firm and extra-firm compression, we recommend working with a healthcare provider.

Yes. The silhouette you choose shapes how and where the compression works.

• Ankle, quarter, mid-crew, and crew: Our shorter styles feature a 360° compression body (not graduated) that supports the foot, arch, and lower leg. Best for everyday wear, athletic use, and low-profile styling with sneakers or loafers.
• Knee-high: The most versatile silhouette for true graduated compression. Our knee-highs are 8-15 mmHg, tighter at the ankle and gradually easing up the calf to encourage healthy blood flow back to the heart. The go-to length for travel, long days on your feet, pregnancy, and mild swelling.
• Compression tights: Full-leg graduated compression for all-over support. Ideal for travel, recovery, and anyone who wants the benefits of compression without a visible sock line.

A useful note on anatomy: even when swelling shows up at the ankle or foot, the deeper veins doing the heavy lifting (the ones with one-way valves that return blood to the heart) sit in the calf. The calf is sometimes called the body's "second heart" because the calf muscle pump drives much of the energy that returns blood upward during activity, and the one-way valves in the deep calf veins are what prevent that blood from pooling back down (Keijsers et al., 2015). That is why knee-highs are often the right call, even when the discomfort is lower down.

The compression level is measured at 4 different points. Many compression sock brands (including Dr. Motion) utilize Swisslastic AG St. Gallen (SAG).

For knee-high compression socks, the 4 testing points are: b, b1, c, d. Point b will be the tightest pressure level. For example, for Dr. Motion products that are 8-15mmHg, point b measures 15mmHg. Each point after point b gradually decreases until point d or point g for thigh-high products, which should measure the lowest of the compression level range. In our knee-high products, point d will measure 8mmHg; our thigh-high products will measure 5mmHg at point g.

If you have seen ankle socks advertised as graduated compression, you have been given inaccurate information. Since graduated compression levels are measured from the ankle and up (as illustrated above), any short sock silhouette (ankle and below) is not graduated compression. They can be compression (tighter than your usual sock) but they cannot be graduated compression.

Compression socks are tighter than regular socks by design, so getting them on takes a different technique than you're used to:

1. Reach inside the sock and pull it inside out, stopping at the heel.
2. Slide your foot in and seat the heel pocket in the right spot.
3. Hook your thumbs into the sock at the heel seam and work the fabric up the leg in short, even pulls. Avoid yanking from the top cuff, which stretches out the band.
4. Smooth any bunched fabric so the sock lies flat against your skin from toe to top.

Firm, supportive, and present, not painful. The strongest point of support should sit at the ankle and ease up the leg. If you notice pins and needles, areas going numb, pinching at the top band, or marks that stay pressed into the skin after you take the sock off, the fit is off. Size up or step down to a lighter compression.

For mild compression like our Everyday Compression™ 8-15 mmHg, most people wear them from morning until they get into bed, and take them off to sleep unless a clinician has told them otherwise. For moderate compression and above, pay closer attention to how your legs feel, especially the first few times you wear them.

A few situations where putting them on matters most:

• Flights or car rides longer than four hours, when sitting still raises DVT risk. A Cochrane systematic review found that passengers wearing below-knee compression stockings on flights of four hours or longer were roughly ten times less likely to develop a symptomless DVT than passengers who did not (Clarke et al., 2021).
• Long shifts on your feet, where fatigue and swelling build through the day.
• The first 72 hours after a lower-leg injury, when compression is the "C" in the standard RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).

We build every sock around a specific job. Here's a quick guide to the materials you'll see across our line:

• WickWell™: Our proprietary moisture-wicking yarn blend. Pulls sweat away from the skin so feet stay dry on long days and workouts.
• Microfiber nylon: Ultra-fine fibers for a smooth, silky feel against the skin. The foundation of our lightweight knee-highs.
• Cotton blend: Soft, breathable, and familiar. A go-to for everyday wear.
• Premium cotton: A heavier, more durable cotton build for our men's styles that need to stand up to all-day wear.
• Copper ion infused yarn: Yarns infused with copper for added antimicrobial properties, which help control odor.
• Ultrafresh treatment: A yarn finish that boosts wicking and odor control.
• Spandex and elastane: The stretch and recovery that keep compression consistent through the day and through many wash cycles.

On top of these materials, every Dr. Motion sock is finished with an anti-microbial, anti-odor treatment.

Honestly? Most people benefit from them. Here are the situations where they help most:

• Travel: Reduce swelling and lower DVT risk on long flights and road trips.
• Standing all day: Nurses, teachers, hospitality workers, stylists, retail workers. A randomized controlled trial of healthcare professionals working six-hour standing shifts found that graduated compression stockings reduced leg edema and symptoms by the end of the shift (Gianesini et al., 2023). A crossover trial of hairdressers found similar benefits with low-strength 15-20 mmHg stockings (Blazek et al., 2013).
• Pregnancy: Support circulation as blood volume increases and help manage leg and foot swelling, especially later in pregnancy. A 2022 randomized controlled trial found that pregnant women who wore graduated compression stockings had significantly less increase in calf and ankle diameter through pregnancy than a control group, and reported better leg comfort (Saliba-Júnior et al., 2022).
• Athletic recovery: Evidence on compression during a workout is mixed, but research consistently supports post-exercise compression as a recovery tool, with reduced perceived muscle soreness in the 24 to 48 hours after hard exercise (Mota et al., 2020).
• Post-surgical and medical: For venous insufficiency, varicose veins, and post-procedure recovery, work with a clinician to confirm the right compression level. Our Everyday and Moderate ranges are often appropriate for mild cases.

For more information, see the following sources:

• Clarke MJ, Broderick C, Hopewell S, Juszczak E, Eisinga A. Compression stockings for preventing deep vein thrombosis in airline passengers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021.
• Saliba-Júnior OA, Rollo HA, Saliba O, Sobreira ML. Positive perception and efficacy of compression stockings for prevention of lower limb edema in pregnant women. Jornal Vascular Brasileiro, 2022.
• Gianesini S, Vagnoni E, Cavicchi C, et al. Randomized controlled trial on occupational graduated compression clinical and cost-effectiveness. International Angiology, 2023.
• Blazek C, Amsler F, Blaettler W, Keo HH, Baumgartner I, Willenberg T. Compression hosiery for occupational leg symptoms and leg volume: a randomized crossover trial in a cohort of hairdressers. Phlebology, 2013.
• Mota GR, Simim MAM, Santos IA, Sasaki JE, Marocolo M. Effects of wearing compression stockings on exercise performance and associated indicators: a systematic review. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020.
• Keijsers JMT, Leguy CAD, Huberts W, Narracott AJ, Rittweger J, van de Vosse FN. A 1D pulse wave propagation model of the hemodynamics of calf muscle pump function. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering, 2015.
• Lim CS, Davies AH. Graduated compression stockings. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2014.
• Benigni JP, Sadoun S, Allaert FA, Vin F. Efficacy of class 1 elastic compression stockings in the early stages of chronic venous disease: a comparative study. International Angiology, 2003.