Performance and Recovery: The pro’s and con’s of compression clothing in sport

Compression clothing is very popular in athletics and even I have recently been considering getting a pair of graduated compression socks for myself.  Graduated compression refers to the pressure of the garment decreasing as it moves closer to your heart.  In the lower legs for example, the compression would be highest around the ankle and decrease as the stocking moves closer the knee.  Compression was traditionally intended for impaired venous return, and for limiting repetitive sports injuries such as medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints).  Healthy runners wear compression gear to improve performance and recovery.  Let’s look at a study published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23302134), and see what the research says.

Performance:

Pro’s	Con’s	No change
Time-trial performance	Temperature increase *	Oxygen uptake
Single and repeat sprint performance		Blood lactate concentration
Vertical jumping		Blood gases
Repeated sprint performance separated by short recovery periods		Cardiac parameters (ie. stroke volume)
Lactate removal after and between bouts of high-intensity exercise

There are four proposed mechanisms that may account for these improvements in performance. 

1. Venous return.  It has been suggested that improved venous return will lead to an increased amount of blood in the heart at the end of its relaxation stage (end-diastolic volume).  The compression clothing should push the superficially located blood to the deeper veins, and hence aid venous return.

2. Arterial inflow.  In short compression will lead to vasodilation and help blood flow into muscle, which will improve oxygen delivery to the muscles.

3. Neural mechanism.  Compression can improve sensory feedback.  Most likely due to activation of the mechanoreceptors in the skin, improved sensory feedback will give you better awareness of body position in space.

4. Mechanical properties.  Compression stockings limit the oscillatory movement of muscles during exercise.  It also limits the number of muscle fibers that are recruited which will lead to a decreased energy expenditure during exercise, and therefore decrease fatigue.

Recovery:

Recovery may be improved if compression clothing is worn within 24-48 hours after exercise by reducing muscle swelling, limiting post-exercise soreness (DOMS), and increasing body temperature.  Using compression garments during exercise only, has not been shown to speed recovery within 24 hours after exercise.  Therefore to improve recovery, it seems more appropriate to utilize compression clothing within 12-24 hours after exercise.  Applied compression may enhance lymphatic drainage, thus improving recovery in the areas discussed above.  Finally, increased venous and arterial flow will enhance clearance of cellular by-products that can otherwise delay the recovery process.

There is benefit to utilizing compression clothing.  One thing to keep in mind is that compression garments increase body temperature and may be detrimental in hot environments.  On the other hand, compression clothing has not been studied while worn by winter sport athletes.  Due to the benefits in strength and power, and the increases in body temperature, compression clothing may be a potential performance aid in sports like hockey, where short anaerobic bursts are needed.

For runners you can find compression socks at local running stores such as Running Free, and Running Room.

Stay healthy my friends,

Dr. Adam 


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