Last week I was traveling and I now have something added to my travel must haves. Whenever I travel this Trtl pillow is a must which protects my neck from going all over the place as I sleep. I’ve done a video on this a while ago and I’m still using the same one.
My new travel must have is this pair of compression sleeves. I first learned about the compression sleeves when my elderly client had a blood clot. I got these for my long hiking trip to Havasupai after hearing that these would be good for circulation and recovery from the long hike. I am not a hiker but maybe thanks to these I didn’t have any cramps during or after the long hike. These kept my legs warm during the chilly nights too.
I took these with me on the airplane to see if they help my legs in any way and they sure did. My legs and feet usually swell during the 12-hour flight to Tokyo and it’s usually hard to put on shoes before getting off the plane. But this time there was no swelling. I could put on my boots no problem and my legs felt more energized.
In fact, the benefits of compression sleeves are:
- Reduce swelling and fatigue in lower leg
- Increase blood circulation
- Prevent varicose veins
- Prevent blood clot (DVT)
- Reduce muscle soreness and injury
- Alleviate pain from calf cramps, Achilles strains, and shin splints
So these are compression sleeves which cover calf muscles between the ankle and knee. There are also compression socks. I’ve read compression socks are better than compression sleeves for recovery and travel purpose because the blood can stagnate around the ankle if you use the sleeves. And these compression sleeves are better for activities. I’ve also read it’s just a personal preference. So I would get both and try them for yourself.
Either way, the calf muscle, more specifically soleus is called the secondary heart because they help pumping the blood back to the heart and these compression wears help to do it by gradually putting the pressure on the calf whether you are active or not. Now I understand why more and more athletes are wearing compression sleeves these days.
If you have any circulation issues, please check with your doctor if the compression wears are right for you. I just got these on Amazon which had great reviews and they were very affordable and I’ll put the link below but you can get the high performance ones customized too.
Calf Compression Sleeve https://amzn.to/2ROZzLA
Massage Monday #477 My New Travel Must Haves http://bit.ly/mm-477