Negative Effect of Wearing Tight Socks

I read this and I believe it will be  of help to us. When you take off a pair of socks and notice sock band left on your leg or ankle, you should be careful. This is an obvious sign that your socks are too tight.

While you want your socks to fit well and not slip or bunch down inside the shoes, you have to be careful not to make it too tight.

There are some negative effects to this.

Lack of blood circulation

It can lead to circulatory issues, or pain in the legs and ankles. There is a lack of blood circulation, which can make varicose veins worse or more likely to occur. This brings a heavy feeling in the legs or feet and swelling of the ankles and legs.

Edema

It can cause edema, which is a swelling of the limbs due to fluid accumulation. Peripheral edema, characterized by swelling of the legs and feet, is the most common form of edema. With edema, the fluid gathers under the skin in spaces found in the tissues. Oftentimes, this can affect only the feet; at other times, it can move up the ankle and the calf right up to the thigh.

This can cause numbness in the foot and should never be taken lightly, particularly when it is not associated with sitting or standing in one position for too long.

According to Medline Plus, there are several medical causes for this type of numbness. One of the causes is wearing too tight socks.

Athlete’s foot

Wearing extremely tight-fitting shoes and socks is the most prominent reason of causing athlete’s foot. The fungi causing athlete’s foot are relatively harmless until and unless they have favourable conditions. They thrive only in moist and warm environment. When you have socks on for a longer time, your feet create these favourable conditions automatically and it results in fungal growth. As the fungus grows, the skin produces more cells pushing the older cells further. This gives the feet a scaly appearance. Similarly, wearing wet shoes, plastic shoes or even wet socks can result in fungal infection between the toes.

In a recent study in the British Journal of Dermatology as contained in healthninjas.com, as well as a study done at Washington University, researchers have discovered that many children have been scarred by wearing tight socks even just once. These “sock-band” lines are initially red markings that happen when the elastic band is too tight around the child’s ankle or leg. While the redness will go away in a few hours, the raised welt that is left can be permanent, even after just a few hours of wearing socks that are too tight.

The study conducted by Washington University also found a small association with the continual usage of tight socks and the banding being associated with some limb defects, but they do note that this potential link needs further study. Because this has only recently been noticed by parents, doctors and researchers; no one yet knows if the welts will last the entire life of the child, or if there are any other negative effects, other than just cosmetic ones.

When children wear the wrong socks

Oftentimes, parents do not know the actual size of their child’s feet, thinking their feet are smaller than they really are. You need to consider the height and width of the foot as well, especially if you have a larger size baby! A professional can measure your child’s feet and even if they are too young to wear shoes, you will at least know what size sock to purchase.

Wear socks made of natural materials, such as 100 percent cotton and avoid socks made from synthetic materials.

Make sure socks don’t leave those classic red sock marks on the legs or ankles, and if they do, give the socks a stretch so the band is more forgiving on feet and ankles. Not only will blood circulation increase in your legs and feet, there will be an overall comfort. You wouldn't put a rubber band on your wrist and then leave it there to dig into your skin, would you?

Doctors recommend that you buy socks that are made for the size of the child’s feet or perhaps a little bigger and wash them before wearing. This is recommended so that shrinkage will occur immediately and the parent will be able to tell within five minutes if the socks are too tight. If after five minutes there are marks on the child’s ankles or legs, immediately remove the socks and either stretch them out until they are no longer tight, or change the socks to a larger pair.