Tired, heavy or swollen legs?
Looking for relief?
For Wellbeing
The future of socks – GC Tech™
We at ECAL believe that GC technology offers a well researched and clinically proven method of helping people, specifically promoting the health of the lower limb. In particular we spend many hours on our feet and this leads to tiredness and fatigue in the lower limb. These can be reduced by simply wearing socks with GC tech.
In addition the rate of deaths due to Venous Thromboembolism is estimated to be up to 60,000 per year, 5 times that of road traffic accidents, breast cancer and HIV combined 1. Again wearing socks with GC tech can help reduce this risk.
Effects of gravity
The calf muscle acts like our 'second heart'. It supports the movement of blood from the peripheries back to the heart via the venous system. As the lower legs take our entire weight for most of the day they are prone to the effects of gravity. In the short term this can lead to swelling and fatigue in the lower limbs, in the long term this can lead to varicose veins 2 and ulcers which effect 25% of the population 3.
GC technology – the 'anti gravity' sock
Socks made with GC tech are designed specifically to apply a known level of pressure to different points on the lower limb, tighter at the ankle and less tight at the calf. This supports the lower leg, helps blood move out of the leg faster and effectively counteracts the negative effects of gravity on the lower leg. Thus wearing the GC tech sock as a replacement to your normal socks will reduce standing fatigue in the lower limb 4, reduce swelling and counter-act any symptoms of varicose veins 5. Thus making it an ideal 'daywear/occupational' sock.
Advantages of wearing the GC Tech™ sock
- Less tiredness in the calf
- Reduced swelling at the end of the day
- Additional protection from DVT when traveling
GC Tech™ Socks and Healthcare
What is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
During or after surgery a blood clot (or thrombus) can form for the following reasons:
- Surgery will cause trauma to the endothelium (inner surface of blood vessels)
- Your body will be prone to over-clotting, or hyper-coagulation
- The blood in the veins of your leg will slow down due to your incapacity after surgery. This can cause the blood to "pool" in the deep veins.
This trio of activity is well-known in the medical profession to be the main factors that predispose patients to clotting. In particular these clots often form in the deep veins of the lower limb, know as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A smaller clot can consequently break off from this bigger clot and travel up the blood system into the lungs causing major and sometimes fatal consequences.
Unfortunately the risk of developing a DVT is increased in the weeks after major surgery and your surgeon will explain ways in which to reduce this risk 6. One method to reduce the risk is to wear well-fitted, medical grade class 1 graduated compression socks, such as those recommended by ECAL.
Why 'ECAL' GC Tech™ socks on discharge?
One of the problems with hospital compression socks is that while they are effective, they are often uncomfortable to wear. GC Tech™ socks have been designed specifically to eliminate this problem by textile engineers and consultant vascular surgeons at University College London, yet importantly conform to European standard of class 1 compression.
They have been designed with high quality materials and special agents that aid compliance. Firstly Aqua Draw an ingredient that moves moisture from the skin through the product to keep you dry, comfortable and cool. Secondly, Ruco Bac a silver based anti-microbial agent that kills bacteria and help eliminate odour and maintain freshness.
Together these factors make ECAL's GC Tech™ socks far more comfortable than usual hospital stockings. Thus they can be worn for extended periods post operatively reducing the risk of DVT and helping with lower limb swelling.
(Additionally they are the compression sock used by the vast majority of professional sports teams for travel, recovery and performance)
When to wear the GC Tech™ socks?
Your surgeon or nurse should advise you on how to wear this product. It is usually necessary to wear ECAL socks directly after your surgery and for 6 weeks after your discharge. They can be worn for 24 hours a day as a replacement for normal socks, ideally socks should be used in rotation to allow regular washing of the product.
