Compression Socks vs Sleeves

compression socks vs sleevesMany people ask us what the best choice between compression socks and compression sleeves is. Well, there is no absolute right or wrong answer, because every person is different and have individual preferences. However, let’s have a look at compression socks vs sleeves to see what the difference is.

Compression Sleeves or Socks?

Compression sleeves are fantastic if you are an athlete, weightlifter, or if you engage in physical activities involving a lot of arms and legs movement. Because the sleeves don’t cover the whole length of your lower leg, including the heel and foot, they are not as effective in preventing inflammation or swelling as compression socks.

If you don’t have any of these problems, though, and are using the sleeve to enhance your workout performance and recovery time, it is a great addition to your workout.

On the other hand, compression socks are ideal for running, working out, traveling, and recovery. This makes them suitable to be worn for all occasions whether you’re working while being on your feet all day, or sitting at a desk. When compared to the sleeves, the compression socks fully covers your lower leg, from your knee to your foot, and they can therefore be recommended to start with if you’re wondering which of the two to get.

You can watch this video on how compression leg sleeves and socks work:

The Difference Between Compression Socks and Sleeves

Sleeves don’t do as much to help with the blood pooling in the feet like socks. However, they do help with the recovery due to the muscle compression- and are great for shin splints by the way. You can also wear sleeves more often without the need to wash them frequently. Since sleeves do not cover your entire lower leg, their ability to aid recovery is reduced. This makes them more for use during events.

On the other hand. Compression socks cover your entire leg area making them great for recovery. Compression socks are also very important since the greatest risk of deep vein thrombosis is in the deep veins of the lower leg, an area where the compression sleeves don’t cover.

However, compression sleeves are more comfortable to wear than the compression socks. So if you are looking for comfort, then your pick would be compression sleeves.

How Compression Socks and Sleeves Help Recovery After Workouts

Many enthusiasts in fitness enjoy the burn after a solid workout. However, it is important for your body to rest between your exercise sessions if you want to prosper in your fitness. This will aid your muscles to fully recover after your exhausting workouts. Compression socks and sleeves, alongside good nutrition and hydration, will be a great way in helping to recover your tired muscles.

After workouts, it’s normal to hear people complain about sore muscles. It, therefore, makes good sense to find a way to help your muscles recover in time, so you can continue with your routines in order to reach your goals. Below is how wearing compression socks and sleeves will benefit you.

Enhance Your Workout

Compression therapy can intensify your workout performance since wearing compression garments will support the muscles in the applied area. By accelerating blood flow to provide more oxygen to your muscles while flushing out metabolic wastes, your performance would be boosted. They also reduce muscle fatigue due to minimised muscle vibrations.

Reduces Pain

Since muscle pain results from swelling, compression socks work to alleviate you from the pain by reducing the swelling. Sore, injured, or inflamed muscles will benefit from wearing compression socks or sleeves since they help with the recovery time.

Aid Minor Muscle Tears to Heal

Fitness enthusiasts know that in order to build muscle tissues, you have to tear them slightly, so the muscles can become stronger after tears in your body rebuilds. Compression socks will fasten the muscle healing process by ensuring the circulation of blood in the affected areas. In case of severe injury to the muscles, compression socks will prevent the pooling of blood in the injured area.

Conclusion

Both compression socks and sleeves are very important to athletes and people who work out. They both help to hold the muscles in place by compressing them and reducing their rate of vibrations.

However, when it comes to compression socks vs sleeves, the compression socks take the cake. This is because unlike compression sleeves that may allow pooling of blood in the lower leg area, compression socks prevent that because it covers your entire leg area from your knees to your toes, while the sleeves do not cover the area below your ankles.