What are the benefits of compression clothing? How does it aid recovery?

Now that I’ve got an introduction out of the way, and given you all a bit of an insight into my opinions on S&C as an industry, I’m going to move on to specific subjects. Each of these articles are going to be research driven, so if any of them are on a subject you find interesting or want to read more about you can follow the references from each article.

The first of these is Recovery Methods. Recovery plays a huge part in performance; if you don’t recover sufficiently in between bouts of exercise or between competitive fixtures, your performance may suffer as a result.

I am going to break this subject down into more manageable chunks, so over the coming weeks my articles will be based around the following:

• Compression Clothing
• Ice Baths/Cold Water Immersion/Contrast Showers
• Massage/SMR
• Active Recovery
• Rest & Nutrition

I didn’t want to try to hit all of them in one go as it would be one hell of a long article, and each of these subjects deserves enough credit to warrant separate articles. So check back weekly to the Macro Man Health &Fitness blog to find out more.

First up is… Compression Clothing

Compression clothing has been popular for a while now, firstly to either facilitate thermoregulation (keep you warm or keep you cool), but also some garments have been made claiming to aid the recovery process.

This is done by helping to improve blood flow and regulate temperature, which in turn will lead to improved removal of waste products from the muscles after exercise. This means a lower amount of perceived delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS – or that sore aching feeling you get after exercise). Sound complicated? Basically - the idea is that these items will allow you to recover quicker and therefore train more frequently².

The most popular types that have been researched are compression socks (ankle to knee), and tights or leggings (ankle to hip). There are upper body recovery garments available, but for most people competing in sports lower body recovery is emphasised.

If someone came up to you and said “Good session today, you should get an ice bath tonight to help you recover. Or, you could throw some compression leggings on overnight.” I’m guessing you’d probably join the majority who would wear the leggings? Especially in the winter! (In case you’re wondering, the person who said it was your coach, not just some random dude on the street. That would be weird.)

Some studies have found that compression garments can help the athletes feel less sore after using them than they would if they hadn’t worn them. This is all well and good, but actual physiological recovery was only minimal^3.4.

Other studies have found scientific benefits to wearing the garments such as reductions in muscle swelling alongside muscle soreness, and improved blood lactate removal following maximal strength and power activities⁵.

It seems to be fairly accepted across the majority of articles that DOMS was reduced when wearing tights and multiple studies have found that they are beneficial in improving physiological symptoms as well.

For this to have effect the garments have to be able to provide a good amount of compression to the muscle⁶ – basically they can’t be loose or baggy. So if you intend to use a pair of leggings as part of your recovery, try to get hold of a brand new pair that won’t have lost their fit – and pay attention to the size guides, or if possible use a company who make them to fit your own personal measurements.

So, after reading through a bunch of articles and going off recommendations from exercise professionals, my advice would be this;
If you want to wear tights as part of your recovery process – go for it. Athletes often found that they felt less sore when they used them, and some research has found positive physiological effects.
At the very least – they’re not going to do any harm. Plus they’re nice and cosy in bed during the winter months, although your partner may say different.

Thank you for reading, and make sure to check back next week to read Part 2 of this look into recovery. Next week’s article will go into some detail on the attention grabbing Ice Bath (plus some more bearable alternatives).

This article was written by Rob Nitman. BSc. ASCC.

REFERENCES

1.       http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/After-Exercise.htm - accessed 20/12/2014

2.       http://www.skins.net/uk/mens-compression/recovery/ry400-men-s-compression-long-tights-for-recovery - accessed 20/12/2014

3.       Duffield, R., Cannon, J. & King, M. (2010) The Effects of Compression Garments on Recovery of Muscle Performance Following High-Intensity Sprint and Plyometric Exercise. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 13 (1).

4.       Faulkner, J.A., Gleadon, J., McLaren, J. & Jakeman, J.R. (2013) Effect of Lower-Limb Compression Clothing on 400-m Sprint Performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27 (3).

5.       Born, D.P., Sperlich, B. & Holmberg, H.C. (2013) Bringing Light into the Dark: Effects of Compression Clothing on Performance and Recovery. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 8 (1).

6.       Sperlich, B., Born, D.P., Kasinoro, K. & Laaksonen, M.S. (2013) Squeezing the Muscle: Compression Clothing and Muscle Metabolism During Recovery from High Intensity Exercise. PloS One, 8 (4).