The use of different kinds of compression products in sports and recovery

When using compression products it is important to know which products are best suited for different purposes. Products for sports related use and everyday use are different.

To be able to understand how compression socks, sleeves and clothes work, one needs to have a basic understanding of the human body and blood flow. Your heart pumps blood with oxygen to your arteries. Cells use the oxygen and other nutrients from the blood, and the deoxygenated blood with lactic acid and other waste products enters the veins to return to the heart. Blood is re-oxygenated in the heart and runs back to your cells.

Blood flow is necessary for living as well as in sports. The more oxygen the cells get, the better they will function, which has a direct effect on your performance. During exercise, your body produces lactic acid as a waste product. If this is not removed from your muscles, your body may start feeling sore and your performance decreases. Another factor in decreased performance is muscle fatigue caused by muscle vibration during physical activity. For example in running, muscle vibration plays a big role in causing soreness and decreased muscle fatigue. Think about the amount of vibration going through your body, and especially legs, while running.

This is the basic reason why you feel sore and tired after your exercise. So what are the benefits of compression products and how do they work?

As was mentioned in the last article “What are compression products and what are their benefits for doing sports?”, compression products have differences. Graduated compression products fight against gravity providing better venous return with deoxygenated blood flowing back to your heart. This means more oxygen for your muscles, less lactic acid and waste products, which in turn lead to better performance and faster recovery. Studies have proven that arterial blood flow can increase up to 40% during performance and 30% during your recovery.

Compression products are used for different purposes

Calf Sleeves are the easiest way to start using compression products. Calf Sleeves are designed for sports-related use, before your exercise to active your muscles and during your exercise to boost the blood flow. If you want to have the same effect as sports related socks, combine your calf sleeves with compression ankle socks.

Compression socks compress your ankle area, which makes recovery more efficient. Sports related compression socks have higher compression level which boosts the blood flow and makes them more efficient. Socks with lower compression level are suitable for long term use such as working and travelling for example. It is recommended to use compression socks for recovery purposes and travelling. It effectively reduces swelling in legs because of compression in the ankle area.

Arm Sleeves have basically the same effect than sports related socks. Arm Sleeves are also suitable for treating arm injuries, such as lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).

Power Compression clothes are designed for sports related activities, but can be used during and before the exercise as well. Targeted and tailored compression especially reduces muscle vibration and fatigue.

So why should you try compression products if you have been managing just fine without them? Decreased soreness, muscle fatigue and quicker recovery are the main reasons. You do not need to be injured or suffering from shin splints or cramps in order to use compression products. They are suitable for everyone doing sports, but may take some getting used to if one has not used them before. Compression makes you recover faster so you’re able to enjoy your workouts even more and train harder.

The benefits of different kinds of compression products include enhanced performance through increased blood flow, quicker recovery and decreased muscle soreness, and less fatigue. Use of compression products prevents sports related injuries and reduces recovery time. 

The article has been produced in cooperation with ZeroPoint. Check out the compression products section in our webshop.  You can find socks for sports related use (Intense) and for everyday use, such as work, travel and even sleeping (Merino & Hybrid).