Compression gear how does it work

The medical benefits of compression prompted some exercise scientists to question whether this same method would cause vascular improvements during and after exercise. Abigail Stickford , then a doctoral student at Indiana University in Bloomington, published a study examining the efficacy and mechanisms underlying the use of lower leg compression as an ergogenic aid for running performance. Running economy is defined as the energy demand for a given submaximal velocity, measured via steady-state oxygen consumption VO 2 , with lower VO 2 at a given velocity indicating better running economy.

Running economy is impacted by a number of things, one of which is running mechanics. As an example, the VO 2 max values of East African distance runners are not significantly different from those in other elite runners; however, numerous studies have shown that East Africans exhibit superior running economy, and we have all seen the dominance in distance running of athletes from these countries.

However, we found no differences in running economy or running mechanics with calf compression sleeves in our athletes compared to those without. This lack of effectiveness flies in the face of the claims often made about compression clothing, by both their manufacturers and users. For example, Stickford says, the garments used in her study supposedly increase blood circulation — and, thus, oxygen delivery — for improved sports performance and recovery, while also regulating skin temperature.

Other supposed benefits include increased blood return to the heart, improved clearance of metabolic byproducts of exercise, increased proprioception which means a person's perception of his body positioning , and enhanced comfort.

But when these purported perks have been put to the test in actual scientific studies — not counting the trials conducted by clothing manufacturers — Stickford says the results have been mixed, and have primarily shown no real performance benefits of compression. This is not to say that compression doesn't help muscles recover post-workout, which is another reason why athletes wear these items. But that would happen when the garments are worn after a workout, not during, says Stickford.

Stickford says that a placebo effect may also have played a role in her study. The vast majority of participants did not usually wear compression sleeves outside of this trial, but there were a few who did. They're more designed for dynamic activity such as running. There's no real science behind the physiological effects of compression clothing.

There's been a few dozen studies. They're very small in size. And the results are mixed. So for every one study that says there are benefits to compression clothing, there's another study that says there's no benefits. And there's another study saying that it might actually be harmful to you. So it's all across the board whether or not compression clothing is actually beneficial.

So the psychological benefits are there. People feel better wearing compression clothing. But the science doesn't support the fact that there's a physiological effect. So if somebody's wearing them in the gym to lift weights, for example, they might just feel that it helps them to perform.

To lift that heavy weight or perform whatever goal they have for the day. It may just be that little extra that they need to help recover from their injury or prevent injuries as well.

More for the fact that I wanted to get a feeling for what they were all about. They don't necessarily work for me. I've tried various sizes, various styles. But for me personally, anecdotally, I just don't like running in compression gear at all.