Sunday, December 1, 2013

Compression Clothing: Does it work?



If you have watched any sporting event in the last 5-10 years then you have probably seen athletes wearing some sort of compression clothing.  Compression garments are available in shorts, tights, socks, sleeves, and shirts.  The premise behind these garments is simple; compress muscles (and the veins within them), which decreases the cross sectional area (and therefore volume) of the veins, thereby increasing venous return to the heart.  One commonly cited study did extensive testing with compression shorts and found that the garment helped trained athletes have quicker warm up, increased jumping performance and decreased oscillation when jumping.  However, there seems to be as many studies showing that compression clothing does nothing as there are studies that show its benefits.  Another study used PET scans to look at glucose uptake during a 24 hour recovery period while wearing compression shorts.  They did not show a significant difference in recovery between the compression shorts and the control.  Additionally, compression garments didn’t change the core body temperature during competition in temperate climates. 

So the question is should you wear compression clothing during exercise?  The answer, in my opinion is maybe.  If you feel like compression clothing helps if may give you a mental edge, or if you notice better performance then go for it.  I didn’t find any evidence that compression clothing decreased performance so you probably aren’t going to lose anything by wearing it.  Further, compression clothing has been shown to reduce chaffing and may provide support that looser clothing does not.  To conclude, compression clothing may help your performance in certain athletic events, but I wouldn’t be in a hurry to buy a full body compression suit given the current research. 

Just for fun:
I didn’t do any research on equine compression garments, but they exist:  http://www.hidez.com.au/



References:

1. Doan BK, Kwon Y-H, Newton RU, Shim J, Popper EM, Rogers R a, Bolt LR, Robertson M, Kraemer WJ. Evaluation of a lower-body compression garment. Journal of sports sciences 21: 601–10, 2003.

2. Duffield R, Cannon J, King M. The effects of compression garments on recovery of muscle performance following high-intensity sprint and plyometric exercise. Journal of science and medicine in sport / Sports Medicine Australia 13: 136–40, 2010.

3. Houghton L a, Dawson B, Maloney SK. Effects of wearing compression garments on thermoregulation during simulated team sport activity in temperate environmental conditions. Journal of science and medicine in sport / Sports Medicine Australia 12: 303–9, 2009.

4. Sperlich B, Born D-P, Kaskinoro K, Kalliokoski KK, Laaksonen MS. Squeezing the muscle: compression clothing and muscle metabolism during recovery from high intensity exercise. PloS one 8: e60923, 2013.
Posted by at

9 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 1, 2013 at 6:27 PM

    This blog is very fascinating! I definitely agree with the "mental edge" theory behind this study because as a cross-country runner, I always felt faster when I wore compression shorts during a race and felt almost less resistance. However, I disagree sometimes with the fact that it would reduce chaffing from my personal experience. This may be though because I have the "knock-off" or cheap brands of compression equipment. I wonder if this research could have helped ease this controversy of Juashaunna Kelly, that had to do with her religious beliefs and her uniform? What do you think?

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/01/16/dc-high-school-track-star-disqualified-over-muslim-uniform/

    ReplyDelete
  2. DillonLBL618December 1, 2013 at 6:42 PM

    This is awesome! You're really going after the sports blogs aren't you, Brad?

    I like the idea of investigating the effectiveness of this stuff, because it's pretty ubiquitous nowadays, from little league to the NFL. It would be interesting, therefore, to investigate this on a scale like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS, given the high intensity performance and amount of players. As for the mental aspect of compression clothing, I think there's definitely a psychological effect; if you're an all -star NBA player that wears an elbow sleeve because your PT told you to and you go on to average 20 point games, I would think that the athlete would continue to wear the sleeve, regardless of its physical effects.

    The inconsistency of the research on this is puzzling, I'd love to see it done on a league that you could control variables for, which is of course, impossible.

    ReplyDelete
  3. gtriska436December 1, 2013 at 6:43 PM

    I too am a cross-country runner and used compression sleeves for my shins during my career. In this case, I was dealing with shin-splints which progressed into stress fractures. The sleeves and my trainers claimed that the compression actually pulled my bones and muscles together, essentially un-doing a shin-splint which is when the bone and muscle are pulling away from each other. I have to say, that whole season, I couldn't go a day without wearing them, worried that my shins would give out beneath me. But after just a few months of extensive weight training and calf strengthening I was injury-free and without compression sleeves. I think it just gave me mental stability, while the strengthening actually healed my injury.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MeganL618December 1, 2013 at 7:09 PM

    I've heard in the past that compression clothes also help reduce the appearance of cellulite and can help reduce body fat when used during exercise due to increased blood flow. An article I found used the application of a high pressure around 7.5mmHg for the first 4 minutes of exercise and then an alternating pressure between -15 and +15mmHg during intervals of 20 seconds, throughout a workout as an effective means of reducing cellulite (1). I was wondering if by any chance you came across the measurement of pressure a piece of compression clothing can apply though?
    1. Loberbauer-Purer E, Meyer NL, Ring-Dimitriou S, Haudum J, Kassmann H, and Muller E. 2011 Aug. Can alternating lower body negative and positive pressure during exercise alter regional body fat distribution or skin appearance? European Journal of Applied Physiology 112(5):1861-1871.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MiaD618December 1, 2013 at 7:41 PM

    An old classmate of mine, Aaron Hersch, now writes for Competitor and in article from earlier this year he cited a study that showed compression tights increase blood flow and reduce heart rate during high intensity work out, as well as reduced soreness following exercise. It is possible that the soreness is perceived soreness and could therefore be the same "mental edge" you are talking about. Do you think that the mental edge is sufficient to compel athletes to buy them? Also, did you find any research on compression apparel used for people with varicose veins?

    Ref: Hersch A. 2013. How Compression Apparel Works. Competitor. http://running.competitor.com/2013/02/recovery/the-science-of-squeeze-how-compression-apparel-works_43385/4

    ReplyDelete
  6. BillyT618December 1, 2013 at 7:42 PM

    Hey that guy who wrote the mental edge post is a really smart guy I heard...handsome too.

    I do think that compression garments do help with the mental aspect of the physical activity. I personally always feel more powerful and faster in compression gear. I mean, it help me to feel like the hulk if I look like him. [see link]

    http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Hulk-Under-Armour-Mens-Alter-Ego-Compression-Shirt-Incredible-XL-X-Large-NWT-/00/s/NjgwWDYyMA==/z/GPkAAOxyYYlRpE7D/$T2eC16FHJGgFFmsJ+BN7BRpE7DPWIg~~60_35.JPG

    ReplyDelete
  7. LaurenD436December 1, 2013 at 9:16 PM

    As a soccer player and cross-country runner, I too have worn compression shorts throughout my athletic career, especially during periods of injury to the muscle itself. The mechanism behind the compression ties in nicely with compression stockings that are mandatory during and after all surgical operations. The compression is found to increase blood flow to these areas, reducing the likelihood of blood clots. In the same way, I would assume compression shorts act by the same mechanism, allowing more blood flow to the muscles that are at work. I would think this increased blood flow to muscles would be beneficial due to the increased ability for oxygen and nutrient exchange, and perhaps reduces the onset of muscle fatigue. I wonder if you found any research specifically targeted at endurance athletes such as marathon runners? I would expect that this type of compression clothing would be more beneficial for muscles that are at work for long durations of time and may in fact prevent the onset of muscle fatigue.

    ReplyDelete
  8. ScottC618December 1, 2013 at 9:33 PM

    Lebron, Kobe, Melo, Ray Allen, AI all wear shooting sleeves. Could it be due to injury prevention of the arm due to a warmer environment? Peyton Manning's performance is significantly altered in cold environments.

    Or perhaps it is really a placebo effect like Vitamin C and echinacea that enhances the mental aspect, in this case of shooting the basketball?

    Ref:
    Chalmers, TC. Effects of ascorbic acid on the common cold. An evaluation of the evidence. Am J Med. 58(4): 532–536, 1975.
    Kalenak A, Medlar CE, Fleagle SB, Hochberg WJ. Athletic injuries: heat vs. cold. Am Fam Physician 12(5): 131-134, 1975.

    ReplyDelete
  9. BillyT618December 1, 2013 at 11:10 PM

    Brad and Lauren, is the compression effect and mechanism the same as the thought behind RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation that is used for stains? The micro-tears in the muscle fiber cause inflammation I would think and the compression is to counter that swelling, in addition to the increased blood flow?

    Lauren, I definitely agree with you that compression attire might be more beneficial for endurance type activities versus anerobic sports, like say weightlifting.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)