If the sock fits...

“YOU think this is a lot of socks?” says Brian Lawton, a sales associate at the Sports Authority in Long Beach, to a customer marveling at the free-standing displays of sport socks -- white, cotton-blend Nikes, thick acrylic Thorlos, fleecy black crews.

Lawton beckons the visitor over to an endless wall display where socks of every description hang from pegs like so many Christmas ornaments: polka-dot “no shows,” whisper-thin running socks, over-the-calf snowboard socks, snazzy two-toned quarter socks.

“This,” he says, “is a lot of socks.”

Anyone shopping for athletic socks these days may be overwhelmed at the staggering number of choices boasting the latest technology and fibers with names like Coolmax, Thermax, ClimaLite, Thorlon and on and on.

Today, there are socks for running, golfing, hunting and snowboarding -- one can even purchase a $250 “exercise walking system” consisting of sock, shoe and shoe-liner sold together.

Sales of sports socks are robust, with “premium sports hosiery” now representing, conservatively, 50% to 60% of the total $1.8-billion sock industry, estimates Mike May, spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn.

With so many choices, pity the poor shopper who yearns to fall back on mom’s stock advice: “Buy cotton. Cotton breathes.” Nowadays, it’s oh so much more complicated than that.

Here, to help, are some sock-picking pointers.

For starters, researchers have found that -- contrary to mom’s advice -- you’re better off with socks made from synthetic fibers and blends, for most activities.

And the cotton-versus-synthetic conundrum is just the beginning. Choices now include fibers engineered and blended to keep your foot warm or cool; to hug your arches or ankles; to protect your foot from a pounding or to slide in your shoe like a stocking.

These features may not matter when it comes to puttering around the house, but they can make a big difference when it comes to staying dry, comfortable and blister-free while exercising.

“It’s a common misconception that socks are not important,” says Dr. Douglas Richie, a podiatrist in Seal Beach who is a recognized expert in sports socks and has researched, among other things, the effects of cotton and acrylic fibers on feet.

“They are the most intimate layer of material against your skin,” Richie says. “When people get calluses and blisters they first blame the shoe, when they should be looking at the sock.”

High performance socks are designed to control two forces that affect a foot in motion: impact (the downward, percussive motion of the foot as it hits the ground) and shear (the force created when the foot slides forward and backward, and side to side, in the shoe). Impact and shear work together and separately to cause blisters, calluses and foot pain.

Socks can dissipate impact and shear with judiciously placed padding -- the thicker the sock, the greater the protection.

But the most important thing a well-designed sock can do is dispense with the foot’s biggest enemy -- moisture, which greatly increases the chances of contracting blisters, fungus and athlete’s foot, even warts.

The key is to draw -- or “wick” -- sweat away from the surface of the foot toward the inner surface of the shoe. The most effective way to do this is with specialized fibers.

Fibers generally fall into two categories: absorbent, such as cotton and wool, and water repellent, such as polyester and acrylic. In theory, fibers that repel water keep the foot drier by channeling moisture away from the foot. Fibers that retain water leave moisture next to the skin. Hence the popularity of synthetic fibers such as Coolmax, a fiber that is commonly used in high performance socks.

In addition to incorporating advanced fiber technology, manufacturers are mixing fibers strategically, to accentuate wicking action.

For example, today’s high performance sock may have a wicking fiber against the foot and an absorbent fiber, like cotton or wool, on the outside of the sock to suck the moisture away from the skin.

Ideally, a good sports shoe will complete the circuit, wicking moisture to the surface of the shoe, where -- if the shoe, as well as the sock, is well-chosen -- it can exit the shoe altogether.

“Most good athletic shoes have ventilation, such as nylon mesh uppers,” says Richie. “They may have tongues with ventilation. And good quality leather is very breathable.”

To fully avoid moisture issues, however, Richie recommends wearing very thick socks, even if it means going up a shoe size. A thick sock will wick moisture away from the inner surface of the sock to the outer surface of the sock, where it will stay.

Other advances in socks include ribbing in the arch area for a better fit, a compression effect to improve circulation, and elimination of a seam in front of the toes to prevent chafing.

Sales of socks geared to specific sports and activities -- the “sports-specific” sock market -- is growing, says Jim Throneburg, chairman and owner of Thorlo Inc., which pioneered this concept.

In his nearly three decades at Thorlo, Throneburg has seen the company product line grow from a few sock styles to 77, in 32 “families” of socks -- for golfing, snowboarding, tennis, mountaineering and more.

But all of this technology comes at a price. Many brands of premium sport socks will run as much as $10 or more a pair.

Richie believes that they’re worth it, especially for growing feet: “Children put out high volumes of moisture even when they’re not running,” he says. He has even seen general foot pain improve by simply changing socks.

“Any active person needs to look at socks as an essential piece of equipment,” he says.

Back at the Sports Authority, Lawton scrutinizes the board of socks with Buddha-like serenity. At the tender age of 19, he has seen more socks than anyone should.

“Some people come in and they ask for cotton or wool,” he says, gazing thoughtfully at his kingdom. “But here, they’ve got a lot of choices.”