Compression Socks: Flight Socks and Prescribed Stockings

Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.

Compression socks squeeze the lower leg gently to help blood flow back towards the heart. Light "flight socks" are sold over the counter for long journeys, while stronger compression stockings are a medical treatment that should be chosen, measured and checked by a health professional. Speak to a pharmacist or your GP before you buy either, because compression is not safe for everyone.

Ask before you buy

This matters more for compression than for almost anything else in a chemist's shop. Compression hosiery can be harmful for some people, including those with poor circulation in the arteries of the legs, some people with diabetes or reduced feeling in the feet, and people with fragile skin or certain heart conditions. You may not know you have reduced circulation. That is why nurses check the blood flow in your legs before prescribing stronger stockings.

Watch out: Do not buy socks to treat swollen, aching or discoloured legs without having them looked at. And get help urgently if one leg becomes painful, swollen, warm or red: the NHS says to ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if you think you might have a deep vein thrombosis (DVT, a blood clot in a leg vein). Ring 999 if you also have chest pain or breathlessness.

The main types

Type	Where you get it	Typical use
Flight socks (travel socks)	Pharmacies, airports, online, in shoe sizes	Long journeys, for people advised to wear them
Prescribed compression stockings	GP, practice nurse, leg clinic or hospital, in a set class of compression	Conditions of the leg veins, swelling, or after some DVTs or leg ulcers
Anti-embolism stockings	Given in hospital	Around the time of an operation or a hospital stay

These are not interchangeable. Hospital stockings are designed for people resting in bed, and flight socks are not a substitute for a stocking a nurse has prescribed. NHS hospital leaflets specifically warn people who have had a DVT not to rely on over-the-counter socks, which may be the wrong strength or size.

Flight socks

The NHS lists being over 60 among the things that make a DVT more likely, along with being overweight, smoking, having had a DVT before, and some medicines and health conditions. For journeys of four hours or more, by plane, train or car, its general advice is to wear loose, comfortable clothes, drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol and walk around when you can.

Whether you should also wear flight socks depends on your own risk, so ask a pharmacist, practice nurse or GP well before you travel, especially if you have had a clot before, have had recent surgery, or have a heart or circulation condition. Flight socks for travel are something you buy yourself; they are not generally provided on NHS prescription.

If you are advised to wear them:

Buy from a pharmacy where you can, so that someone can check the size with you. They come in below-knee length and are sized by shoe size and sometimes by ankle or calf measurement.
Put them on before you set off and follow the instructions on how long to wear them.
As a rough guide, expect to pay from around £8 to £20 a pair.

If you are planning a long trip with a health condition, see also travel insurance with medical conditions.

Prescribed compression stockings

These come in classes of increasing strength, and in below-knee and thigh lengths, with open or closed toes. The class, length and size are decided by the nurse or doctor after examining your legs. You should be measured, ideally early in the day before any swelling builds up, and re-measured each time the stockings are replaced.

How many. NHS guidance in many areas is to supply two pairs, so that you can wear one while the other is washed.
How long they last. Elastic wears out. Local NHS guidance commonly says to replace stockings every three to six months, or sooner if they are damaged or no longer spring back into shape. Ask your surgery how to order replacements.
Cost. Prescriptions are free for everyone in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for people aged 60 or over in England. See free prescriptions and eye tests.

Getting them on and off

This is where many people give up, particularly with arthritic hands or a stiff back. Ask the nurse to show you the technique, and do not suffer in silence: a stocking left in a drawer does nothing.

Put them on first thing in the morning, when your legs are least swollen, on dry skin.
Turn the stocking inside out as far as the heel, fit the foot, then ease it up the leg a little at a time. Do not pull it up by the top band.
Rubber washing-up gloves give a much better grip and protect the fabric from fingernails.
Stocking aids, which are frames or slippery sleeves that hold the stocking open, are sold in pharmacies and mobility shops, and some can be prescribed. See reachers and dressing aids.
If you cannot manage even with an aid, tell your nurse. There are easier-to-apply alternatives, such as wraps that fasten with hook-and-loop straps, and help from a carer or district nurse may be arranged.

Common questions

Can I wear compression socks in bed?

Follow the advice you were given for your own stockings. Most prescribed stockings are worn by day and taken off at night, but some people are told otherwise.

My ankles swell in the evening. Should I just buy support socks?

See your GP or practice nurse first. Swollen ankles have many causes, some of which need treatment, and compression is not right for all of them.

What footwear works with compression stockings?

Shoes with an adjustable fastening and enough depth are easiest. See slippers and footwear and our guide to foot care products.