Just tested CEP’s new Outdoor Compression Socks

There's a long and complex story behind my experiences with these socks, which I won't go into here. However, in very brief:
IF you have a medical condition which requires a medically-prescribed compression sock, then go for it. They may help you.
If you do not have such a medical condition then you are foolishly wasting your money. That's your call.

The socks are extremely hard to pull on. It took me several minutes to get ONE sock on. can you imagine spending that amount of time every morning, just getting your socks on?

The socks were not very comfortable (and I did have the right size according to the package). And they left disticnt marks all around my calves.

The socks made my feet cold, as you would expect for something which restricts your bloodflow. But that is normal for compression clothing. Strange stuff.

There is ZERO published independant medical research to support the use of compression clothing. There is a lot of marketing spin of course, but NO research showing any benefit. Yes, I have been searching through the literature.

Yes, there are lots of endorsements – athletes get paid for these of course. Endorsements are just a way of generating an income.

Cheers

My high school cross country team went to state for four years in a row. When i was a junior, a well respected teammate got on some kick about compression shorts, and they became part of the uniform for state that year. Every single runner on our team had a dramatically worse time, in ideal weather on a course where we generally had our annual PR. Just my two cents.

As far as swelling goes….. I broke my ankle on Maui, and when i could walk again, i still had massive swelling. A tight, tall sock or ace wrap and elevation would reduce swelling temporarily, but at the end of the day it was still painfully bloated. Two or three weeks i suffered. Then i realized it was a dietary issue, went on a potassium-rich food bender for ONE DAY, and by the end of that day my leg shrunk back to normal and stayed that way. Im told one can overdose on potassium, but its hard to do with just good food. I had a pile of fresh baby coconuts, trees full of avocados and bananas, and fresh sugar cane stocks aplenty, so thats pretty much cheating, but potassium is plentiful in lots of foods.

I'm left delighted, confused, and curious by both these stories.

@ Roger,

I think your sample size is far too low for the absolution indicated in your post. Since I can pull my compression socks on in ten seconds and they don't leave marks on my calves, I think they are the right size whereas yours sound too small (I've worn shoes that were 'my size' that clearly were not. Manufacturers are rarely rigorous).

That said, compression socks were recommended by my surgeon. However, since I have a bad right foot and a perfect left foot, I can say with some certainty that there is a nice boost to my recovery time thanks to increased blood flow caused by the compression where I have no medical issue whatsoever. It's something. It's not much, but it's something.

Any pain in the calves, herculean struggles with putting them on, or discomfort- well, if a backpack fits your proportions terribly, it doesn't work very well, does it?

@ Stefan,

Dang. Interesting story. I hate compression shorts, and so do my brothers who run track. Socks work for me, though.

Oh yeah, I don't even think to use these in the winter. Most of my winter activity tends to be high exertion, but short distance, so they are not missed. If I were to use them, my toes would freeze. I can't even wear close-fitting shoes.

They don't get cold in normal temperatures (above 40ºF)

Hi Max

> I think your sample size is far too low for the absolution indicated in your post.
Ah … 'absolution' is typically forgiveness after confession. Um …

I am drawing on my own experiences PLUS the experiences of many researchers who have conducted many trials. Plus a certain amount of very basic common sense.

> compression socks were recommended by my surgeon.
Oh, I agree: when there is a medical condition they can be really useful. No arguement at all.

Cheers

Anecdotally, I know a lot of serious atheletes that swear by them for recovery, even if they are far more wary of performance claims during activity.

Although I've never tried a pair myself because they are kind of expensive.

Thanks for the review Max :)