Why Are Compression Socks Good For People Suffering From Diabetes?
Diabetes is an illness that affects more than 34 million Americans. It occurs when your pancreas is unable to generate enough insulin to keep your blood sugar levels under control, resulting in heart, kidney, and visual problems. In this article I will tell you how compression socks can help you during diabetes.
Diabetes has no cure, but there are strategies to manage it, such as healthy weight loss, a balanced diet, an active lifestyle, and medication. Wearing compression socks can also help you control your diabetes, especially if you have a lot of swelling in your legs.
Before we get into the benefits of compression socks for diabetics, it is critical that diabetics people consult with a healthcare expert before using any pair of compression socks. Your doctor will be able to tell you which socks are ideal for your specific condition, as well as walk you through all of the potential health hazards associated.
Again, if you have diabetes, do not buy or wear compression socks without your doctor's written approval. Diabetes Compression socks exist in a variety of pressures and lengths, which is why consulting with your doctor before purchasing a pair might be beneficial.
In the world of compression, there is no "one size fits all," and your doctor will be able to tell you what length and pressure would be most appropriate for your specific condition.
How Compression Socks Can Help Diabetic Patients
Maintaining your health is time-consuming enough when you have diabetes without having to care about your feet.
Compression socks remove several potentially hazardous health conditions from your plate, allowing you to focus on controlling your other symptoms and developing a new, healthy lifestyle.
Compression socks can provide wonderful benefits for diabetic patients such as reduced swelling, reduced chance of blood clots, reduced numbness, and reduced risk of skin infections.
1. Reduced Swelling
Many persons with diabetes suffer from peripheral swelling, which is leg swelling caused by fluid retention. This swelling is typical after a leg or foot injury, especially because persons with diabetes have circulation issues that can impede injuries from fully healing.
Compression socks are designed to assist minimize swelling in the legs by improving blood circulation from the feet to the heart.
They accomplish this by providing pressure at the ankle and subsequently up the calf, thereby keeping the blood circulating and preventing fluid retention in the first place.
2. Reduced Risk of Blood Clots
Diabetics are also more likely to develop Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), which is a blood clot in a "deep vein"—usually in the leg. People with DVT may have pain or swelling, but they may also have no symptoms at all.
DVT can cause post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), which causes mobility issues, but it can also cause pulmonary embolism (PE), which occurs when a blood clot becomes stuck in one or more arteries of the lung. Because pulmonary embolisms can be fatal, it's critical to take as many precautions as possible.
Wearing compression socks and encouraging correct blood flow will help avoid DVT by preventing the blood in your legs from thickening and producing a clot that could travel to your heart or lungs.
3. Reduced Numbness
Numbness in the extremities is another typical symptom of diabetes; uncontrolled high blood sugar for an extended length of time can produce diabetic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that is unique to diabetics.
Though the precise relationship between blood sugar and nerve damage is uncertain, it is probable that when blood sugar remains too high for an extended period of time, it can impair the capillaries that deliver oxygen and other nutrients to nerves in the legs.
Because diabetic neuropathy is a disorder that is ultimately dependent on a person's blood sugar levels, compression socks can help you keep feeling in your feet and toes by encouraging healthy blood circulation between your feet and heart.
4. Reduced Skin Infections
We've already talked about how neuropathy causes numbness in diabetics' feet and legs. Because some diabetics experience numbness, they may miss any scratches, wounds, or infections on their feet.
A small cut that goes undiscovered can expose the diabetic to a variety of hazardous bacterias and materials, and the constant, irritating rub of standard cotton material can lead to infection. Furthermore, whether there is a cut or not, standard cotton socks retain moisture and put the wearer at greater risk for bacterial infections.
Compression socks, on the other hand, are comprised of a breathable, moisture-wicking material that does most of the job FOR you. Whether you use compression socks or not, if you have diabetes, it is critical that you check your feet on a daily basis to ensure that there are no wounds that could become troublesome.
When Shouldn’t People With Diabetics Wear Compression Socks
Compression socks should not be worn if you have been diagnosed with any type of vascular disease. While they assist most individuals have improved blood flow, they may actually inhibit adequate blood flow in people with arterial insufficiency.
Peripheral artery disease is one of these artery-related disorders (PAD). If you have PAD, your blood arteries are restricted, and wearing compression socks may hinder blood flow rather than improve it.
As we stated at the outset of this essay, it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you have diabetes, consult your doctor before purchasing compression socks.
