Haemodynamic changes induced by sports compression garments and changes in posture

Sports compression garments are frequently used by many athletes under the auspice that they are able to increase blood flow, and subsequently enhance recovery from exercise. Haemodynamic changes brought about by compression garments have been investigated in great depth in a clinical setting on patients with circulatory deficiencies, with garments reportedly resulting in improved blood flow. However, these benefits have been extrapolated to underlie their use in a sports setting without extensive research having investigated their effects on athletic populations. This study used strain gauge plethysmography to assess changes in limb volume in 18 active males (mean=394min activity/week) while wearing a compression sock (SOCK), compression legging (LEG) or no compression garment (CON). Participants were positioned on a tilt table so that haemodynamic response could be measured while supine, in a 60° upright position, then upon returning to a supine posture. Increase in limb volume was significantly lower following 5 min in an upright posture for SOCK (p less than 0.001) compared to CON. Similarly, both SOCK and LEG reduced limb volume significantly more than CON (p less than 0.001 & p less than 0.001, respectively) when returned to supine posture. Compression socks were more effective in reducing limb volume than LEG when athletes were supine (p less than 0.001) Heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate were assessed throughout, with no significant differences apparent between trials. These results suggest that both sports compression leggings and sports compression socks are effective in reducing limb swelling in an athletic population by increasing limb drainage. Further investigation is required to assess whether these alterations in limb volume affect exercise recovery