Compression Socks Review
Compression sock recovery has been around for a decade now and when the craze for compression sock recovery started, I did not join the band wagon. I did not believe buying a $30-$50 pair of socks was money well spend and could really help recovery and circulation. Fast forward five years and my opinion on compression socks has done a complete 180 degree turn. In 2015 I got my first DVT, deep vain thrombosis (aka blood clot), in my upper calf, in 2018 I got my second DVT in the same spot. Why? I am not 100% sure and neither are the doctors after heaps of blood test. Anyways, after my first DVT I started wearing compression socks off and on and after my second DVT I wear them religiously. My calf is sensitive due to the trauma the veins have underwent and after long bike rides, long runs, and hard run workouts it does get sensitive so I put a pair of compression socks on right after. I have started wearing compression socks during my hard and long run workouts and I have noticed a difference in circulation, tenderness, and recovery after the runs. I have tried a few different brands of compression socks, below you will find my reviews on my favorite brands.
Tiux Athletic Compression Socks - I have their Topo Run OTC compression socks, husband has their Horizon Run OTC compression socks, and I also have a pair of their running socks. For overall compression factor out of all my socks, these have the tightest fit compared to all the socks on the page. Overall thickness they are a medium, and length (how high they come up leg) is average, they stop two inches below the back of my knee. Overall “coolness” factor they are first on the page! These are my go to travel socks because they are not too thick or thin, I can easily put compression spandex over top or under the socks, and they are cool. Next, I would like to try their compression sleeves.
I do have a 20% off Code or Tiux -ALYSHATIUX, you are more than welcome to use it!
SB SOX - I have one pair of the 20-30 mmHG compression socks. For overall compression factor I would give these a medium/high. They are the thickest pair of socks I own which means they are my number one winter running socks and length the length is good, they stop one inch from the back of my knee. SB SOX has two different levels of compression and they have the widest range of sock styles on their website from funky to plain black. I have not tried any of their other products but they do have foot compression sleeves and calf sleeves which seem very intriguing.
Trimtex Compression Socks - I have one pair of these socks. Overall compression factor is a medium, thickness is thin, length is high (goes to the back of my calf), and “coolness” factor is very classy. I do like that these socks are the thinest pair that I have so I can still wear long socks running in the summer and not overheat. Their compression is not super tight which is also okay. These are great socks to ride or run in but afterwards I switch them out with a clean and tighter fitting pair.
2XU Compression Socks - I bought two pairs of these compression socks right after my first DVT five years ago and surprisingly they are still nice and tight fitting socks!! They are thin like the Trimtex socks and their length and compression levels are very similar to the Tiux socks. It seems as if 2XU’s compression sock line has evolved over the last five years! Now they offer flying specific socks along with recovery specific socks yet I cannot tell which sock offers more compression over the other. If you know this answer please let me know! I would like to try the heaviest compressed sock of their current line.