Benefits of Compression Clothing for Runners?

Background: Runners at various levels of performance wear different compression clothing aiming to improve their performance and facilitate recovery.

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

Methods: A computerized research of the electronic databases PubMed, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science was performed in September of 2015, and relevant articles published in peer-reviewed journals and examining effects on physiological, psychological, and/or biomechanical parameters during or after running were included. 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: Thirty-two studies including 494 participants were analyzed. Compression garments exerted no statistically significant mean effects on running performance, maximal and submaximal oxygen uptake, blood lactate concentrations, blood gas kinetics or cardiac parameters. Small positive effect sizes were calculated for time to exhaustion (in incremental or step tests), running economy (including biomechanical variables), clearance of blood lactate, perceived exertion, and markers of muscle damage and inflammation. The effect sizes for post-exercise leg soreness and the delay in onset of muscle fatigue indicated large positive effects.

Conclusion: The present findings suggest that by wearing compression clothing, runners may slightly improve variables related to endurance performance (i.e., time to exhaustion), due to improvements in running economy, biomechanical variables, perception and muscle temperature. The main benefit of compression clothing is the reduction of muscle pain, damage and inflammation during recovery.