LITTLE ROCK — Compression garments are popular with some athletes, such as runners and basketball players, who think the tight-fitting clothing lends a competitive edge. But that may not be the case, according to two new studies presented June 3 at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Baltimore.
One study looked at the effect on oxygen consumption among 16 trained male distance runners who wore lower leg compression sleeves. The sleeves, socks that run from just above the ankle to just below the knee, were worn during a 12-minute run. The athletes also did the test without the sleeves.
Oxygen consumption did not change significantly in either test. However, small variations were noted - four runners had greater than 1 percent average increase in oxygen consumption, which means they ran less efficiently. Four runners also had a greater than 1 percent average decrease in oxygen consumption.
Abigail Laymon, the study’s lead author and a researcher in the department of kinesiology at Indiana University, also gave the athletes a questionnaire asking their feelings about the compression sleeves. Those who had better outcomes were more likely to have a favorable attitude about the garments.
“Overall, with these compressive sleeves and the level of compression that they exert, they don’t seem to really do much,” Laymon said in a news release. “However, there may be a psychological component to compression’s effects. Maybe if you have this positive feeling about it and you like them then it may work for you. It is a very individual response.”
The other study focused on upper thigh compression garments. Researcher and lead author Nathan Eckert, a human performance doctoral student at Indiana University, tested three types on 25 men who did vertical jumps. Each test subject did the jumps while wearing a waist-to-knee garment that fit exactly, one that was a size smaller, and one that was a size larger.
No differences were noted in jump height.
ActiveStyle, Pages 25 on 06/28/2010