Compression sock guides

Compression socks in 60 seconds

Your leg veins have to move blood roughly a metre upward against gravity, and they rely on one-way valves plus the squeeze of your calf muscles to do it. Stand still, sit for hours or fly, and that pump stops firing — blood pools, pressure builds, fluid leaks into the tissue, and by late afternoon you have swollen ankles and legs that feel like concrete.

A graduated compression sock is firmest at the ankle and lighter up the calf. That gradient narrows the veins slightly so the valves close properly, and makes "up" the path of least resistance for blood. That's the whole idea — and it's why an evenly tight sock, or a calf sleeve with no foot, doesn't achieve the same thing.

The guide library

Which guide should I read?

Pick the line that sounds like your day:

• You're a nurse, carer or on a 12-hour shift → Compression socks for nurses
• You stand all day in retail, teaching, hospitality or a warehouse → For standing all day
• Your ankles swell by late afternoon → For swollen feet & ankles
• You're flying long-haul or driving for hours → For flying & travel
• You have visible varicose or spider veins → For varicose veins
• You're pregnant → Compression in pregnancy
• You run, train or want faster recovery → For running & recovery
• You have diabetes → For diabetics — read this first

Compression glossary

Graduated compression

Pressure that is highest at the ankle and decreases up the leg. The gradient is what pushes blood toward the heart — even pressure does nothing.

mmHg

Millimetres of mercury, the unit of pressure. A sock rated 20–30 mmHg applies that range at the ankle, not at the calf.

Calf circumference

The measurement around the widest part of your calf. It decides your size far more reliably than shoe size does.

Calf muscle pump

The squeezing action of your calf muscles on the deep veins each time you step. It is the main engine of venous return.

Edema (oedema)

Fluid that has leaked out of the capillaries into the surrounding tissue — the swelling you see at your ankles.

Venous insufficiency

Vein valves that no longer close properly, so blood refluxes downward and pressure builds in the lower leg.

How we write these guides

Every guide here is written and fact-checked by the TrueFit product team, reviewed against published guidance on venous return, graduated compression and edema management, and updated when our own customer support data shows people are still getting something wrong (sizing, in almost every case). We say plainly when compression isn't the answer — there are several pages on this site that tell you to see a clinician instead of buying socks.

These guides are general education, not medical advice. If you have a diagnosed circulatory, heart or kidney condition, diabetes with neuropathy, or you're recovering from surgery or a clot, follow your clinician's instructions first.

TrueFit pricing

Compression only works if you actually wear it every day, which means having a clean pair each morning. That's why the multi-pair packs are priced the way they are.