Compression socks for hiking??

I can’t imagine wearing anything tight while hiking, and even if some medical evidence was found to support compression socks, I’d probably ignore it. Loose fitting gear just feels better! And keeps mosquitoes further from the skin. And allows freedom of movement. But I don’t even understand what the problem is that people are trying to solve with compression socks in the first place. What are they for, how are they supposed to help you?

As for the ankle rash, the Livestrong article indicated that the vasculitis occurred above the sock. I get ankle rashes too, only under the sock cuff, regardless of what sock I wear. If it is above 60 degrees F., I get the nasty rash. If it stays hot for several days, my ankles start to bleed. It’s quite ugly but doesn’t hurt as much as it looks like it should. Then it sticks around for another week.  Putting baby powder on before hiking seems to help a bit. My doc said to take Zantac before a hike, but I haven’t tried that yet because the last med she prescribed for my immune condition caused a major stomach bleed, from which I’m still recovering.

Sorry, that’s a bit of drift, so back to socks. If I could hike with no socks, that would be optimal. The very short kind always slip down. I like both Wright and Darn Toughs, but both give me the rashes. I can only imagine that compression socks would make that condition ten times worse. Do people really want something tight on their legs while hiking?

Ian,

You said you get an ankle rash when wearing ankle socks. Could it be the top of the sock rubbing that causes it, not the material?

Karen,

I have some autoimmune issue that my doctors don’t fully understand so it’s entirely possible that’s playing a role here.   I’ve been to the doc a few times for related issues and don’t expect that I’ll have an answer any time soon.

As to why compression socks, I don’t have an answer and just bought my first pair.   They didn’t have the brand I was originally looking for so I’m starting out with a Dr Scholls 11sh hhmg socks.  l will try and locate ones with greater compression later.

I’m not all that interested in performing any pseudoscientific test on them so it will all boil down to comfort and swelling.

It’s a nylon spandex blend and seems to eliminate the odor problems I was having with Wright socks.   I haven’t had a chance to wear them on a hike yet.

Nick,

I’m willing to say that wool is the culprit here.  I don’t have this reaction when I wear similar ankle socks with synthetic fabric.  I haven’t worn wool in a week and it has almost completely cleared up.

I have heard that a few people are allergic to wool. Apparently they are actually allergic to the lanolin in the wool fibers. A good test to determine if one is allergic to wool is to rub some lanolin on your skin and see if a rash develops.

I have worn Wright socks and similar quite a bit and just prefer wool. Another solution might be to wear ultra thin silk or polyester sock liners. Not sure if they would block the lanolin, but might be worth a try. For several decades when I wore heavy leather boots, I wore these sock liners under my wool socks (back in the days when soft merino wool wasn’t sold) and they were wonderful — helped prevent blisters and blocked some of the dirt so my feet stayed cleaner. Might be worth a try. Sock liners can be found at REI and other fine retailers. I prefer the silk ones.

A Lanolin/wool allergy is not uncommon, although the exact cause is still not known. That is, we do not know whether it is the wool or the lanolin which is the root cause. It has even been suggested that it is the combined effort of the two. Dunno.

Liner socks – I like them and wear them under my Darn Tough wool socks (Gobi Wigwam synthetic liners); my wife Sue has tried them but does not bother with them any more. A good example of HYOH maybe.

Cheers