Socks reduce swollen-leg risk by 77%

Science proves Grandma was onto something with her support stockings. A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that donning maximumpressure knee-high socks (with a “firm” rating of 20–30 mmHg) four days a week reduces swollen legs and ankles enough to lower the risk of cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection common in the summer, by 77%. Lead researcher Elizabeth Webb says compression socks fend off bacteria growth, while prior research shows they reduce swelling and pain from varicose veins and the risk of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) by 63%.