Graduated compression garments (CGs) have been used since before World War I to treat circulatory conditions think of your grandparent’s varicose veins and the thick stockings they may have worn to decrease swelling and pain, especially if they spent most of the day on their feet! For them, the valves in the veins (the vessels that carry blood back to the heart) no longer kept the blood from backfilling and the muscles, which assist in moving the blood back to the heart, couldn’t keep up. You see the funny socks at nearly every race start line, but do they cross the finish first? Alicia Filley investigates whether compression garments are useful accessories or simply extra baggage.
