Functional sock

Abstract

Clothing and methods for providing targeted and staged compression to portions of a lower extremity, such as a leg of a human may include individual pieces of clothing such as socks and the like, or multiple-piece clothing systems functioning together to provide targeted and staged compression to the lower extremity. One or more articles of clothing individually or together have a plurality of targeted compression zones. Each of the compression zones includes a superior portion extending in a generally superior-inferior direction and an inferior portion contiguous with the superior portion and comprising a portion extending in a direction generally crosswise to the generally superior-inferior direction of the superior portion. Other implementations are also described.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system providing targeted compression to portions of a lower extremity to provide improved venous return characteristics, the system comprising:
 one or more articles of clothing comprising:
 a first compression zone comprising a first proximal end and a second proximal end that are each disposed at anterior locations on a superior portion of the one or more articles of clothing, 
 wherein the one or more articles of clothing are configured such, that when a user wears the one or more articles of clothing on the lower extremity with the anterior locations of the one or more articles of clothing covering an anterior portion of the lower extremity, the first compression zone extends from the first proximal end, distally away from a core of the user, posteriorly across a posterior portion of the one or more articles of clothing, and proximally toward the core of the user and anteriorly to the second proximal end such that a distal-most portion of the first compression zone is disposed at the posterior portion of the one or more articles of clothing.