Sock marks commonly show up on people’s ankles and legs after wearing the garment all day long, or even after several hours. Most people don’t think much of these indentations ― but the seemingly-innocuous lines can offer a peek into your health.
While the lines on your legs and ankles from your socks are normally not a concern, they are worth noticing ― particularly if they’re accompanied by any concerning symptoms. Below, doctors share when your sock marks are a potential problem and when they’re likely not:
Sock lines are common and often happen when someone sits all day, is on their feet all day or makes certain diet choices.
If you see indents on your ankles or legs after you take off your socks, don’t panic, said Dr. Katherine Teter, vascular surgeon with Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.
“This is something that’s quite common, especially in those of us who spend most of our day working on our feet, or working where we’re sitting down for long periods of time, where your legs are in a dependent position,” Teter added.
“Most of us have sedentary jobs, or we’re standing all day. Blood’s going to pool in our legs. It makes a lot of sense,” noted Dr. Brintha Vasagar, a family physician in Wisconsin.
If you don’t sit or stand all day long, lines on your legs could signify a straightforward (and not serious) issue: Your socks just may be a little too tight, Vasagar said.
“The other common thing is probably going to be dehydration,” Vasagar noted. When you’re dehydrated, fluid pools in your legs. This can cause leg swelling and lead to sock marks.
Similarly, eating a salty meal at a restaurant can also cause some swelling in the legs, according to Teter, just like it causes swollen fingers, and can eventually lead to sock marks.
For most people, sock lines are not a problematic occurrence, but they can become an issue if the marks are accompanied by other symptoms.
One is swelling in the legs whether or not you’re wearing socks. If this occurs, you should let your doctor know.
This is also true if you notice hyperpigmentation near the ankles; large varicose veins; or heaviness, aching or fatigue in the legs after standing that gets better when you elevate your legs, Teter added. These can be signs that there are problems with the veins.
“Those problems are usually not dangerous problems. However, we treat the veins when they’re causing significant symptoms for patients,” Teter said.
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If your sock lines only appear on one leg, are much worse on one side, or seem to get worse over time, let your doctor know.
If you notice that your sock lines only happen on one side of your body or are much worse on one leg, you should see your doctor, according to Vasagar.
“Our body likes to be in balance. It likes to be symmetrical. So when one side is different than the other side, that’s usually a sign that something is off,” Vasagar added.
In serious cases, sock lines that get worse over time can sometimes be signs of kidney disease or heart failure.
“For things like that, you’re going to notice that things are progressively getting worse,” Vasagarn said. The indents from your socks may look deeper or appear to be lasting longer as the weeks and months go by.
And with heart failure, you’ll also see “people who have shortness of breath, they have trouble laying completely flat when they’re sleeping. There are other things that can go along with it,” she said.
“Changes are always a signal to go talk to someone who has expertise,” Vasagar said.
Many people who see sock lines are quick to assume it’s a circulation problem, but that likely isn’t the case, according to Teter.
“In general, blood clots don’t just happen in the absence of symptoms,” said Teter. “If people were to have a clot, seeing these types of sock lines would not necessarily be a sign of that.”
Someone with a blood clot would generally have substantial swelling of the leg or calf, pain and potentially redness, Teter explained. “And those are things that would prompt you to go see your doctor and potentially get an ultrasound for evaluation.”
The best kinds of socks are ones that are comfortable and fit, but compression socks may be a good choice for certain people.
Whether you choose a popular brand of ankle socks or compression socks, sock marks are likely to happen. Indents aside, the best kind of socks are the ones you find most comfortable and fit you well, according to Teter.
Compression socks, which are tight, tall socks that keep fluid from settling in your legs, can be a good choice for people who are on their feet all day as they help with swelling and other symptoms people can face after being on their feet all day long.
“So, for instance, I’m a physician. I wear compression socks most days of the week because I’m standing on my feet in the operating room for many hours a day, and even though my circulation is completely normal, my feet and my ankles feel much less heavy and tired at the end of a long day when I wear them,” Teter said.
Compression socks are also a smart choice for someone who sits all day long, Vasagar said.
“In the same way that when you’re on an airplane, we say, ‘You’re gonna be sitting for a really long period of time, wear compression stockings, they’ll help,’ get up and walk every two hours, that will [also] help. Those same strategies will work for you if you’re sitting a lot for your job,” Vasagar noted.
There are a few things you can do to reduce the lines your socks leave on your legs.
If no health issues are behind your sock indentations, there are a few things you can do to lessen these marks. These include elevating your legs, wearing compression socks, and prioritizing exercise and diet, according to Vasagar.
If you try these things and you’re stuck with marks that don’t go away when you take off your socks, “that’s maybe time to go see your family doc and get checked out, make sure there’s nothing more serious going on,” Vasagar said. “That’s not to say that automatically, we’re saying, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s heart failure,’ but it is good to run through all of the other things that it could be and make sure it’s not something more serious.”
The original version of this story was published on HuffPost at an earlier date.