Nurses spend the best part of their working hours standing on their feet. Years of standing and walking from room to room have taken a heavy toll on their legs. Nurses usually work in long exhausting shifts of 10-12 hours and this can go even further in case of any emergency. Like the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, we are experiencing at the moment.
Nurses are putting their everything at state without even caring about the plight of their legs. Standing for such long hours render them with tired and swollen legs. Pain is also likely to be experienced. Nurses are strongly advised to wear specially designed compression socks for nurses, as they can be of great help in reducing the hardships faced by your legs while on work.
Some of the institutions have added these compression socks for nurses in the uniform code. This will encourage more and more nurses to wear compression socks.
Often in the hustle of caring about the health of others being a critical element of the healthcare industry, nurses forget or compromise their health and wellness. Thankfully compression socks for nurses are there to fill the void. compression socks for nurses have shown great results in the past and those who are regularly using it, advocate it strongly. Moreover, there are no real harmful effects of wearing them as long as you have ticked all the boxes regarding the appropriate techniques of usage.
How do compression socks work?
There is no rocket science involved behind the working of compression socks for nurses, you don't need to be a medical geek to understand it either. The root concept of compression socks lies in the pressure which they apply on the feet and ankle region. Now, this pressure depends on the grade or type of compression socks for nurses you are wearing.
You must be advised there are compression socks available with different compression ratings. As the compression rating increases, the pressure quotient also increases.
Compression Level - the game changer
With the application of gentle pressure on your legs, the blood flow straight from your legs to the heart is facilitated. With the promotion of blood flow, the swelling gets diminished and the probability of having blood clots is reduced to almost zero because the velocity with which the blood is flowing is more when compression socks are used.
When pressure is applied on the legs, the veins are reduced in diameter resulting in the increased flow of blood to and from the heart.
Why do nurses need to wear compression socks?
Working for long hours without any real spells of rest is the story of every nurse. Getting prone to leg pain, calluses, soreness, swelling, bunions, and most importantly the mental toughness you will experience the whole day is common. The question arises why not to wear compression socks for nurses when they have proven results in lowering the aching and swelling among other innumerable benefits.
Compelling reasons for nurses to wear compression socks:
Gives relief from tiredness, dizziness, swelling, and aches:
Being on feet for consecutive hours leaves several adverse impacts on your legs. This can include all or some swelling in the leg in the ankle and feet region, aches that are hard to get rid of, legs feeling heavy due to tiredness. All these irregularities can be curbed or controlled by wearing compression socks for nurses while at work.
Swelling is seen in nurses who don't get a chance to elevate their legs during the day. This encourages the pooling of fluids in the legs and giving rise to swelling.
Compression socks for nurses work at hastening the flow of blood in your legs by applying gentle pressure at all times. This increased blood flow also means the increased supply of blood oxygen which ensures that no lactic acid formation is seen in the legs.
So, nurses, it's time to part ways with swelling, aches, tiredness, and so on!
Also when you are physically sound to work the same is reflected in terms of your work efficiency and attitude.
- Note: nurses who have difficulties in standing up and suffer dizziness after a brief spell of rest are strongly advised to use compression socks for nurses. Compression socks will hasten the blood circulation thereby reducing the susceptibility to dizziness.
Curing Varicose Veins and Spider Veins:
Varicose veins and spider veins are seen to appear on the legs when someone is prone to stand for a long duration. They are very shabby in appearance, on top of it they are quite painful. Nurses often suffer from this unsightly varicose veins.
They appear on account of the blood build up in the veins, and this condition is full of discomfort, irritation, and obvious pain. But don't worry, compression socks for nurses are an effective measure to edge past varicose veins and spider veins. The pressure compression socks applied on the legs reduce the blood pooling in the veins and ultimately make them disappear.
Helpful in muscle recovery:
Your legs bear all day long wear and tear, and are in dire need of some sort of relaxation when you are back home after work. You don't only need to wear compression socks for nurses while at work, but you are advised to use them while at home also. They will hasten the muscle recovery process by boosting the blood flow.
You can wear compression socks without giving a thought to the side effects of it. As, if you have selected the right pair of compression socks for nurses for you and you wear them in the right manner, you won't be getting any ill effects of using compression socks for nurses.
Prevents you from blood clotting:
Blood clotting is a very painful condition and nobody would like to experience it. But nurses owing to their work commitments are often encountered with this problem. Compression socks for nurses reduce the possibility of suffering from blood clotting as the increased blood circulation which is an outcome of using compression socks will not allow the blood to clot at any time.
Cute Compression Socks for Women as part of Dress:
Compression socks for nurses are available in different designs, colors, and patterns, these compression socks look too cute to wear . You can use them as an accessory to add to your style status. You will get the option to choose from thigh-high compression socks, ankle-high compression socks, floral print compression socks, and many more. In this way these cute compression socks will serve two motives for you, the medical one, keeping you from swelling, dizziness, and aches. The other being, making you look stylish.
How to select the best pair of compression socks for nurses:
This seems to be the most problematic situation for many people, as there are so many varieties and designs available at the disposal that choosing out of them is very difficult.
There are some brands that deliver compression socks for nurses at very premium rates, but their quality is not up to the mark. While there are others who promise to deliver compression socks at cheap rates but again they end up compromising on the quality. Those who make quality products have priced them so high, that most of the time they are out of the reach of a prudent buyer.
Choosing the best available option is like an art, you must look for the manufacturer who delivers high-quality products, as you would not like to compromise with the quality. When you will research deeply, you will find manufacturers who deliver premium w compression socks for nurses at affordable rates. You may even search online for best compression socks for nurses and compare various alternatives.
What should be the compression ratings?
Now the big question arises as to which grade of compression socks for nurses should be opted?
So if you are a nurse and if you go by asking your physician about his recommendations for the compression ratings, he will advise you to wear compression socks with the ratings of 20-30 mmHg. These 20-30 mmHg compression socks are considered mid-range socks that impart the maximum pressure of 30mmHg at the ankle and a 20mmHg pressure at the calf region.
Since nurses have to wear compression socks for long durations, it becomes even more critical that they must buy the right size and fitting. You would not like to buy 10mmHg compression socks that are too loose and ineffective or 40mmHg compression socks that are too tight.
FAQ's
A big NO, you should not wear compression socks for nurses while sleeping. Though you can wear them at your home while you are awake, you must remove them before going to bed. Even though they are meant to improve blood circulation still, when you are lying, the compression socks work in an entirely negative way. They tend to facilitate the flow of blood not towards but away from your feet. This may even block the blood flow when you are lying. So you are advised to remove the compression stockings before going to bed.
Yes, feel free to wash your compression socks between wearing. Though you must be advised that they are meant for their elastic properties and elasticity is affected by washing. So don't wash them at short intervals. Wash them according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Also always keep two pairs of compression socks for nurses with you, so that when you have washed a pair you have another one to wear.
- When should compression socks be replaced?
Compression socks come with a lifespan depending upon the quality of material you have bought, and the time frame for which they are put to use. In general, it is observed that compression socks when taken care of properly, easily last for 3-6 months. After that, they need to be replaced as the pressure incidence tends to decrease with time.
Conclusion:
There is no point in making your legs suffer when compression socks for nurses are available at your disposal.
As a nurse when you will feel elated from inside, then only you can serve your patients to the fullest. So try to make compression socks for nurses.