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Is There Evidence that Runners can Benefit from Wearing Compression Clothing?

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Abstract

Background

Runners at various levels of performance and specializing in different events (from 800 m to marathons) wear compression socks, sleeves, shorts, and/or tights in attempt to improve their performance and facilitate recovery. Recently, a number of publications reporting contradictory results with regard to the influence of compression garments in this context have appeared.

Objectives

To assess original research on the effects of compression clothing (socks, calf sleeves, shorts, and tights) on running performance and recovery.

Method

A computerized research of the electronic databases PubMed, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science was performed in September of 2015, and the relevant articles published in peer-reviewed journals were thus identified rated using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale. Studies examining effects on physiological, psychological, and/or biomechanical parameters during or after running were included, and means and measures of variability for the outcome employed to calculate Hedges’g effect size and associated 95 % confidence intervals for comparison of experimental (compression) and control (non-compression) trials.

Results

Compression garments exerted no statistically significant mean effects on running performance (times for a (half) marathon, 15-km trail running, 5- and 10-km runs, and 400-m sprint), maximal and submaximal oxygen uptake, blood lactate concentrations, blood gas kinetics, cardiac parameters (including heart rate, cardiac output, cardiac index, and stroke volume), body and perceived temperature, or the performance of strength-related tasks after running. Small positive effect sizes were calculated for the time to exhaustion (in incremental or step tests), running economy (including biomechanical variables), clearance of blood lactate, perceived exertion, maximal voluntary isometric contraction and peak leg muscle power immediately after running, and markers of muscle damage and inflammation. The body core temperature was moderately affected by compression, while the effect size values for post-exercise leg soreness and the delay in onset of muscle fatigue indicated large positive effects.

Conclusion

Our present findings suggest that by wearing compression clothing, runners may improve variables related to endurance performance (i.e., time to exhaustion) slightly, due to improvements in running economy, biomechanical variables, perception, and muscle temperature. They should also benefit from reduced muscle pain, damage, and inflammation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for School Sports and the Physical Education of Children and Young Adults, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstrasse 12, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Florian Azad Engel

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden

    Hans-Christer Holmberg

  3. Integrative and Experimental Training Science, Department of Sport Science, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

    Billy Sperlich

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  1. Florian Azad Engel
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  2. Hans-Christer Holmberg
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  3. Billy Sperlich
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Correspondence to Florian Azad Engel.

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Funding

Financial support for the collection and analysis of data was received from the Nike Company. However, this company did not influence preparation of the manuscript in any way.

Conflict of interest

Florian Engel, Hans-Christer Holmberg, and Billy Sperlich declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this review.

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Engel, F.A., Holmberg, HC. & Sperlich, B. Is There Evidence that Runners can Benefit from Wearing Compression Clothing?. Sports Med 46, 1939–1952 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0546-5

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