From Running Times online…
Compression Gear: Hype of Helpful?
Research reveals some recovery benefits, but little performance-boosting effects
By Mackenzie Lobby
As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine
For over 50 years, compression garments have been used in the medical field to improve symptoms related to diabetes, edema (swelling) and vein disorders, among others. Like so much of what is used in the fitness field, such as resistance tubing and resistance balls, compression garments have made the jump to the running world. On the elite scene, superstars like Chris Solinsky, Shannon Rowbury and Paula Radcliffe can be seen racing in knee-high, calf-hugging compression socks.
Chris Solinsky wore compression socks when he broke the 10,000m American record in May 2010.
That’s why a study out of Indiana University presented this summer at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting caused quite a stir, bringing compression garments back into the limelight by questioning their usefulness for runners. In the study, “Lower Leg Compression Sleeves: Influence on Running Mechanics and Economy in Highly Trained Distance Runners,” Abigail Laymon and colleagues found no impact on running economy, efficiency or mechanics. While the subsequent headlines following the conference wrote off compression garments, even Laymon herself says the issue is not so cut and dry.
Read on here.
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