These socks are, indeed, extra wide. They are good for anyone with very wide feet, but specifically for people that have very swollen feet/ankles/legs.  They stretch very wide and are easy to get on.  They do not appear to bind at the ankles and my mother, for whom I bought them, has not had a problem with them falling down.  The only thing that I'm not liking is that they are very thick, too thick for warmer weather.  I can't say if they had any "medicinal" properties as they appear to be very normal socks, just very wide. The only medicinal purpose I can see is so they can cost more money.  With this same order, I ordered another pair that were supposedly for men but which appeared to have thinner material.  They are made by the same company.  They were thinner but do not stretch anywhere near as much as these do.  All in all, they are extra wide but wish they were thinner.