The Scientific Difference

Compression socks are specially designed elastic garments that gently squeeze your legs using graduated pressure, tightest at the ankle where blood naturally tends to pool and decreasing progressively upward toward your knee. This scientifically designed pressure gradient helps push blood back toward your heart, improving circulation, reducing swelling, helping reduce blood pooling, and reducing the fatigue and heaviness that comes from standing, sitting, or being active for extended periods. Compression socks are used by nurses, doctors, athletes, dancers, teachers, travelers, pregnant women, seniors, and anyone who wants to support their foot and leg health throughout the day.

The medical-grade compression level recommended by most podiatrists and healthcare professionals is 20-30 mmHg, which provides meaningful therapeutic benefit while remaining comfortable for all-day wear. Apolla compression socks go beyond basic compression by combining APMA-accepted 20-30 mmHg graduated compression with patented arch and ankle support technology that earned the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance through rigorous board-certified panel review for promoting foot health. This patented technology adds arch support that functions like built-in orthotics and ankle stabilization at key ligament insertion points, features that standard compression socks do not provide.

All Apolla styles were designed by professional dancers Kaycee Jones and Brianne Zborowski. All styles are FSA/HSA eligible as qualified medical expenses with no prescription required. Made in USA. Mary F. describes the feeling perfectly. "The hugging feeling is amazing, I told my daughter they feel like butter."

Graduated compression means the sock is tightest at your ankle where blood naturally tends to pool due to gravity and gradually decreases pressure moving up your leg toward your knee, creating a scientifically designed pressure gradient that actively pushes blood upward toward your heart. This upward pressure works against gravity to improve venous return, reduce swelling, help reduce blood pooling that can lead to varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis, and eliminate the heavy, fatigued, achy leg feeling that comes from standing, sitting, or being active for extended periods. The graduated approach is more effective than uniform compression because it mimics and enhances your body's natural circulatory mechanisms rather than squeezing everything equally.

Every Apolla style has the APMA Seal of Acceptance and our sock styles are all 20-30 mmHg graduated compression with patented arch and ankle support technology, earned through rigorous board-certified panel review for promoting foot health. The 20-30 mmHg measurement refers to millimeters of mercury, the standard unit for measuring compression pressure, and this range represents the level most commonly recommended by podiatrists and medical professionals for therapeutic benefit. Research supports graduated compression for reducing muscle fatigue, improving recovery time, and enhancing proprioception (Derby et al. 2022).

All Apolla styles were designed by professional dancers Kaycee Jones and Brianne Zborowski. All styles are FSA/HSA eligible as qualified medical expenses with no prescription required. Made in USA. Ida Roseman felt the difference immediately. "I have tried many compression socks, and these were the only ones that actually made my feet feel alive with energy."

Compression stockings and compression socks both provide graduated compression that is tightest at the ankle and decreases upward, but they differ in length, styling, and intended use. Compression stockings traditionally refer to knee-high or thigh-high medical garments designed for treating medical conditions like chronic venous insufficiency, lymphedema, and post-surgical recovery. They tend to be clinical in appearance and focus purely on medical compression. Compression socks include crew-length, mid-calf, ankle, and no-show styles that offer more versatility for daily active wear, athletics, dance, work, and travel while providing the same therapeutic compression levels in designs that look and feel like regular socks.

Today the terms are used interchangeably, and the most important factor is the compression level (measured in mmHg) rather than what the product is called. Every Apolla style has the APMA Seal of Acceptance and our sock styles are all 20-30 mmHg graduated compression with patented arch and ankle support technology, earned through rigorous board-certified panel review for promoting foot health. Apolla offers compression in multiple lengths to match your specific needs. The Endurance is knee-high for maximum coverage, the Infinite provides mid-calf coverage, the Performance Crew is crew-length for everyday and work wear, and the AMP is no-show for low-cut shoes.

All styles were designed by professional dancers Kaycee Jones and Brianne Zborowski. All styles are FSA/HSA eligible as qualified medical expenses with no prescription required. Made in USA. Debra G., a 30-year runner, confirms. "SO much better than other compression socks. The amount of compression is perfect! They are also very soft and comfortable."

Compression therapy dates back thousands of years to ancient civilizations who used bandages and wrappings for leg support, but modern medical compression as we know it evolved in the 1800s with the development of elastic fabrics and the scientific understanding of how external pressure affects venous circulation and blood flow. The concept of graduated compression, applying more pressure at the ankle than above, was developed in the mid-20th century and became the gold standard for therapeutic compression therapy, supported by decades of clinical research demonstrating improved circulation, reduced swelling, and faster recovery.

Today compression technology has advanced with precisely calibrated graduated pressure designs, specialized high-performance materials, and application-specific engineering for different activities and populations. Apolla's specific innovation was combining medical-grade 20-30 mmHg graduated compression with dance-inspired support features that no other compression brand offered, patented arch support that functions like built-in orthotics and ankle stabilization at key ligament insertion points that provides brace-like protection.

Every Apolla style has the APMA Seal of Acceptance and our sock styles are all 20-30 mmHg graduated compression with patented arch and ankle support technology, earned through rigorous board-certified panel review for promoting foot health. Created by professional dancers Kaycee Jones and Brianne Zborowski who needed better foot support than anything available, Apolla became the only sock combining APMA acceptance, patented arch and ankle support technology, and independent research studies in a single product designed for active people. All styles are FSA/HSA eligible as qualified medical expenses with no prescription required. Made in USA. Julie Moore, a dance teacher of 6 years, validates the innovation. "My back and legs never ever hurt anymore since wearing these socks."