Disclaimer: I was provided the SLS3 Plantar Fasciitis Compression Sleeves for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated any other way. As always, all opinions are my own.
I was recently given the opportunity to test out the new Plantar Fasciitis Compression Sleeves from SLS3 and, while I don't have plantar fasciitis, I have been having some ankle pain since my marathon back in April. It's been unseasonably warm for the most part here in East Tennessee, so when I saw these were ankle-length compression sleeves I jumped at the chance to try them out. Here's my honest opinion about these socks:
The first chance I had to test these sleeves out was going to be during an Appalachian Trail day hike with a client out to Charlie's Bunion. This hike out and back is 8 miles and when I hike it with my clients it can be between 7 and 8 hours of trail time. Since I hike slower with clients and I've been having the ankle pain lately, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get in a good test! I put on the sleeves directly underneath my Smartwool hiking socks before putting on my shoes. They felt like traditional compression socks, but were much easier to get on and get adjusted due to the fact they had an open toe. I was worried this would be bothersome, but it really didn't require too much extra work to slide on another pair of socks over them. During the hike I had no ankle pain at all, despite the slower pace and cooler temperatures (it actually snowed up there in MAY!) The only problem I did have was that my toes started to feel like they were swelling up after wearing these socks for about 7 hours. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be running that long, so if you aren't planning on wearing them for that long, I'd say this wouldn't be an issue.
My favorite hiking shoes - Altra Lone Peak 2.5, with the Smartwool/SLS3 compression combo. Ready to hit the trail!
After washing and drying these compression sleeves, I also tested them out on a 4.2 mile run a few days later. I haven't been running much since my marathon back in April, partly due to foot pain and partly due to having a physical job where my hours are erratic! I'm getting better about running though and have since replaced my shoes since I've determined that is what was causing my ankle pain. Anyway, the run I tested these sleeves on was a route I was familiar with as I had run it many times during training. It goes through an older neighborhood where I live and the sidewalks have lots of cutouts for driveways and walking from the street. Since I was also running streets this meant I had lots of turns to take. This was another reason I had avoided the neighborhood since my ankles have been sore - lots of extra movement for my ankles. While I did have some minimal ankle pain in these socks still, for the duration of my 40ish minute run and cool down the pain in my ankles was significantly reduced - which I had totally expected due to the compression. Even with the sidewalk irregularities and taking the turns on the streets my ankles still held up fairly well.
SLS3 has provided me a link to share with my blog readers to get these compression sleeves on Amazon for the discounted price of $17.90! They're also Prime Eligible for shipping if you're a Prime Member! You can get the deal on Amazon by clicking here. (not an affiliate link!) If you prefer shopping on the SLS3 website, you can use the code BLOG40 to save 40% off your purchase SITEWIDE. Lastly, you can find SLS3 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as well.
Have you ever tried compression socks or sleeves for running or hiking? Did you think they helped with soreness or pain? I'd love to know what you thought! Leave me a comment below or find me on Facebook or Twitter to get the conversation started!
I'm linking up with Running With SD for Try Out Thursday!