To prevent blood clots they recommend loose socks. But in the hospital they give you tight socks. How come?

When sitting for long times, say, in an airplane flight, wearing loose clothes, especially socks, is recommended to prevent blood clots. Yet, to prevent clots, when confined to a hospital bed, very tight fitting socks are provided. Seems inconsistent. Any ideas?

I should clarify. When given those tight fitting stockings, the stated purpose is to prevent blood clots.

First, I find the first post to be offensive, and if you dont know the answer just dont give it!

Second your answser - blood clots are caused from the stagnant flow of blood which does not return to the heart. Unlike your arteries which have alot of muscle in them, your veins rely on compressions of skeletal muscle to return blood back to the heart. If you are not moving your feet or legs, blood pools and can clot while it is sitting there.

The tight socks in the hospital compress the skeletal muscle which help blood to return back to the heart. In flight, your legs can swell, thus tight socks would contrict blood flow and possibly make swelling worse.

No matter what socks you wear, just do ankle exercises and all will be well! :)

I'd probably say it's because the hospital doesn't have a very good assortment of socks, and the nurses most likely don't really care to give you properly sized ones.

The "socks" that they supply in the hospital are called ted hose. They are tight fitting to aid in preventing Blood clots. Stockings like those used in hospitals are better in reducing blood clots than loose fitting socks. so the best answer I can give you is loose fitting clothing on the airplane is fine but wear tight fitting socks to keep the risk of blood clots reduced.

from wat i kno the tight socks given in the hosp are not simply tight socks they are medicaly advanced ones which r supsd to alternate the pressure in ur legs nd hence help keep the blood flowing. nd if u were to wear tight socks in daily life they wud actually cut off the venous return from ur legs nd hence increase the chance of clots.