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In this article I have reviewed the best plantar fasciitis socks and compression sleeves. If you have felt the pain of Plantar Fasciitis, you are always looking for ways to support your heel and arch. Any additional support for your plantar fascia (the affected part of the foot) is a welcome relief.
Additional support to your achiles tendon or heel cord makes the healing faster and reduces the pain. This has been clearly established in research and study works which I have mentioned in my earlier articles of this blog.
Best Plantar Fasciitis Compression Socks, Sleeve
When you are looking for natural ways of plantar fasciitis treatment, it is highly recommended that you must try to give as much support to your arch as possible. The socks and compression sleeves which I have reviewed (below) are very effective in in reducing the plantar fasciitis pain because they help in keeping your foot stretched. When these socks are used in tandem with supporting shoes and/or other supportting aids, they work really fast for pain relief and healing.
To be frank with you here, I won't think of compression socks or sleeves to be your only Plantar Fasciitis treatment solution. They however combine with other aids extremely well to make your heel feel better.
Plantar Fasciitis Socks, Sleeve Benefits
I have been asked few times via email, "do plantar fasciitis sock sleeves work?" or "do compression socks help plantar fasciitis?". As mentioned above, each supporting aid has it's own benefits; the compression sock has it's own. The socks are a good method to keep the foot stretched and they do deliver results. I would think of these socks as a great option when the pain is not severe.
The extent to which your heel needs support depends on the severity of pain you suffer. Socks are very good support for that stubborn, moderate pain.
Good supporting aid for treatment: If you want to keep your treatment 100% natural, you have to do simple stretches. In doing so, your foot or fascia ligament has to be kept stretched which requires external support. The socks or sleeves give exactly that- they support your arch in treating plantar fasciitis.
Least cumbersome and convenient: This clearly is the best advantage of plantar fasciitis sleeves. You can use them at any time of the day or night. You can wear them comfortably for long hours, as opposed to night splints which are definitely not very convenient thing to wear at sleep (those are required when the pain gets too much).
Comfort: Much like shoes for plantar fasciitis, the sleeves make our foot comfortable. Offcourse the shoes have a distinct advantage here because there is more cushioning available inside shoes. Nevertheless, the snug feel in our heel makes it quite comfortable.
Plantar Compression Socks, Sleeve Shortcomings
Like everything else in life, there is always another side of the story. When we talk about benefits, we must not overlook the disadvantages.
- When we talk about arch support, we must also remember that the support provided by a compression sock can not match the level of support we can get in shoes for plantar fasciitis. The effectiveness to reduce pain is not the same as that of shoes or night splints.
- The tight or snug feel of a sleeve is not necessarily comfortable for all.
What Makes for Good Plantar Fasciitis Socks ?
Recognizing a pair of good socks for foot pain is not as complicated as finding a good shoe or night splint. An ideal plantar fasciitis sleeve however has it's own foot print that we can identify.
- the ideal compression sock grips the foot at all 6 levels of compressions
- manufactured by a renowned brand, most often famous for foot supporting aids
- preferred or recommended by podiatrist (foot experts)
- good customer satifcation record
If you want to know how the products related to plantar fasciitis are rated on this website, you can read here.
Global Scientific Research and Study
There was a comprehensive research done by University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany. The research was done to find the impact of compression socks on lower leg during running performance of runners.
A group of 21 moderately trained athletes with normal fitness participated in the study. Each participant was randomly assigned to perform a stepwise treadmill test in which they were asked to do a voluntary maximum once while wearing the compression socks and once without.
The study concluded that wearing these socks significantly improved running performance of all the participants.
Another notable research on effectiveness of compression socks was conducted by Massey University, Auckland (New Zealand). They studied the physiological responses before and after a series of physical exercises, once wearing the socks and once not wearing them.
There were 3 different types of physical activities done by a group of 14 runners who performed intermittent shuttle running tests in two multi-stage scenario. It was reported by 13 participants that the muscle soreness was delayed and reduced when they used the compression socks.
As both the research works mentioned above concluded that compression sleeves help in improving lower leg fitness and comfort, we have a good indication to try them to heal our foot pain.
The method used to rate these socks is mentioned here. Click on the picture to read review.
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1. FS6 Compression Sleeve
The FS6 Compression Sleeve works very well for targeted compression to heal the foot pain and swelling, if any. It divides the foot area into 6 support zones and works on these zones for targeted healing.
There are 3 different levels of compression and each support zone is applied a specific compression level. The compression level would vary in case of plantar fasccitis versus general heel spur or foot swelling. The FS6 also helps in overall healing process by working on the blood circulation.
- Soft, comfortable fabric with moisture wicks
- corrects the pressure in the arch and heel to make the foot feel better
- improves blood circulation which aids faster healing
- Feels too tight for many people
- sometime may cause heel tenderness
2. Plantar Fasciitis Foot Sleeve Compression
» Check Price & Customer Reviews on Amazon»
This foot sleeve works on it's own graduated compression zone to heal the plantar fascia ligament. The quality of arch support provided is good. It works effectively on improving blood circulation, which has been proven to help in healing process. The improved oxygen circulation helps in reducing lactic acid build up, which works very well in muscle recovery.
- anti odor , anti static fabric helps to keep the foot dry and comfortable for long hours
- reduces muscle tiredness, good for daily wear
- good quality arch support
- lesser compression felt for too thin foot
3. ProRelief Compression Sleeve
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These socks have been designed to reduce the foot pain and relax the achiles tendon. It fits most foot sizes extremely well and gives that snug feel you need when the heel is not feeling good. The healing process for fascia ligament is faster with ProRelief compression socks. The blood flow is improved to a good extent to heal the inflammation of the tendon.
- breathable and lightweight compression socks
- thin fabric makes it possible to wear under regular socks or by themselves
- FREE massage ball included with this sock
- lighter level of compression
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Special Mention: Strassburg Sock
The name Strassburg sock sounds like a sock but in reality it is more like a splint to support the heel. The main objective of Strassburg socks, like most night splints is to reduce or eliminate foot pain by keeping the foot in correct posture.
It helps to maintain a healthy 90-degree angle (dorsiflexion) between the toe and the ankle. This helps in keeping the inflamed fascia ligament stretched all night so that early morning steps are not painful.
Strassburg socks are a good choice if you do not want to take the burden of wearing a bulky night splint all night.
It helps to maintain a healthy 90-degree angle (dorsiflexion) between the toe and the ankle. This helps in keeping the inflamed fascia ligament stretched all night so that early morning steps are not painful.
Strassburg socks are a good choice if you do not want to take the burden of wearing a bulky night splint all night.
Pros:
- Much more comfortable to wear than night splint
- strengthens the arch, keeps the fascia ligament stretched
- good for wearing long hours and travel
Cons:
- can cause foot numbness and sweating
Conclusion
Benefits of plantar fasciitis socks and sleeve are many, considering the fact that they are very convenient to wear. If your foot pain is not too strong, these are perfect supporting aids for your heel. Among many advantages of socks that we saw above, socks can be worn all day, at work or leisure or while sleeping.
