Large, Extra Wide, XXL, and Plus Size Compression Socks

Discount Surgical is your source of large, extra wide, XXL, and plus size compression socks. We have been helping our customers find the compression garments they need for over 22 years. But many of our customers don't realize they have been wearing the wrong size. Here's how you can tell if you need to change sizes.

How Can You Tell If Your Compression Socks Are the Wrong Size?

When compression socks are essential to the health of your legs, they can become a big problem if they don't fit properly. Making the right fit is so important for the successful use of compression socks and compression stockings that you should always pay attention to these signs that your compression garments are not fitting properly:

Your compression socks are painful to wear.

Wearing compression socks should never be painful. When compression socks hurt, you are wearing a compression that is too strong or you are wearing a size that is too small. 

The first step in making sure you have the right size socks is taking new measurements of your legs. Check the sizing charts to make your ankle and calf measurements are still within the sizing range.

Next, make sure the level of compression in your socks is appropriate for your condition. Your doctor can give you advice on the level of compression you should wear.

It also helps to consider where your pain is coming from. If your toes hurt, consider wearing open-toe compression socks so your toes and feet will not be squeezed. If you have pain behind your knees, or if you have thin skin and bleeding behind your knees, make sure your socks are not bunching up behind your knees.

Your compression socks slide down your legs.

When your compression socks slide down your legs, the size you are wearing is too large. Sometimes this is a sign that your compression socks have been working for you. This situation comes up for people who needed XXL compression socks for a condition like lymphedema and then improved enough that they need a smaller size. As swelling subsides in your leg, compression socks may get looser and you'll need a new pair. Or sometimes when you have worn compression socks for five or six months, they will wear out. It's essential to wear compression socks that have not lost their elasticity.

By the time compression socks are falling down, it is too late to salvage them, but there are things you can do to make them last longer before they reach that point:

• Don't wear compression socks without washing them, especially if you have vascular dermatitis or some other condition that causes peeling or oozing skin. Dead skin, skin oils, dirt, and sweat can accumulate in your socks and wear out elastic. Unwashed socks can also harbor bacteria. Just toss your compression socks into the washer and dry them, and they will stay cleaner and fresher and last longer.
• Consider using a different size of compression sock when your swelling goes down or when your swelling gets worse, and when your weight goes down or your weight goes up. People who wear XXL compression socks may need larger socks when their health problem flares up, but smaller sizes when it improves.
• Thigh-high compression socks require special maintenance. Every week or two you need to rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball to wipe the silicone beads at the top of the sock and remove any dirt or oil that is left behind even after washing.
• And if you have skinny thighs or chubby knees that keep thigh-high socks from staying in place, consider using a skin adhesive It Stays. Apply at the top of the sock, not at the bottom.

Your compression socks bunch up.

Your compression socks should never bunch up while you are wearing them. That's a sign that they are too long for you. Most brands of compression socks come in two different lengths, regular and short. If your legs measure for a short length and you wear regular-length compression socks, you will notice rolls of extra fabric as you pull them up your leg. Those rolls of fabric can form a tourniquet on your leg — which is the opposite of the effect you need.

Even when you wear your socks, you still have lots of swelling.

When you wear compression socks that are too big for you, they won't help with your swelling. This is a signal it is time to recheck your size.

You can't get your compression socks on.

When you try to put on a compression sock and you can't even get it over your toes, it is entirely too small for you. Recheck your measurements. It is easy to get the wrong size.

Large, Extra Wide, XXL, or Plus Size?

So, how do you determine whether you need large, extra wide, or plus-size compression socks? It's easy! Use Discount Surgical's Fit Finder.

You will need to know your shoe size. And you'll need a tape measure to check your ankle circumference and your calf circumference. The Fit Finder will ask you for your height and weight.  Finally, the Fit Finder will ask you some questions about the compression socks you are wearing now and whether your doctor specified a brand and compression for your socks. Then click on "Next" and in just seconds you will be presented with a page of options for socks in the style you like and in the compression you need at a very competitive price. You will also get an email reminder of your choices.

Discount Surgical takes the hassle out of fitting compression socks. And with the right compression socks in the right fit, you will get the maximum benefits for your circulatory health.