Compression Socks Can Alleviate Soreness, and Possibly Swelling
Multiple studies have found that wearing lower leg compression socks or sleeves, either while running or for a number of hours afterward, resulted in decreased post-exercise muscle soreness. As for inflammation and swelling, which can be common after a long run, several studies have found that compression gear worn during recovery may help. While the duration and conditions varied widely from study to study, a small to moderate reduction in leg muscle volume was consistently found in those who wore the garments compared with a control group.
Reduced Recovery Time? The Research is Mixed
One of the most touted benefits of wearing compression gear is better recovery after especially long or hard workouts, but here’s where disparity among the research grows. A comprehensive review of the scientific literature published in a 2013 issue of the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance did conclude that compression gear appeared to reduce recovery time to a small degree.
In some studies, it was due to reductions in soreness and muscle swelling, as mentioned above, and in a few others, it was thanks to faster clearing of metabolic waste (though other studies found no such metabolic affects). Importantly, the meta-analysis authors stressed that what small benefits there may be to recovery were only realized when compression gear was worn for at least 12 to 24 hours after exercise, and not during.
Trying it Out? Things to Consider
Much of the disparity among the research findings can be explained by the simple fact that individuals are all different from one another. Just as you and I will respond differently to a certain training protocol, wearing compression gear will have different effects on us as well. That’s why some runners hardly ever do a workout without them, while others try them once and throw them away. Giving compression gear a try might be a worthwhile experiment, but if you do, be sure to follow these two critical tips.
First, make sure the socks, sleeves or tights you choose fit properly. They should feel snug— that’s how they work, after all— but they should not feel overly tight at either end, especially not up around the top of your calves. Remember the great anti-clotting benefits of compression socks for bed-ridden medical patients? Those garments worked so well because they were sized and fitted specially to each patient by a medical professional.
Wearing a garment that’s too tight can actually have the opposite of the desired effect: It could cut off circulation and cause a dangerous or even deadly blood clot. This can also happen if the garment is too long and it bunches up, creating a kind of tourniquet at either the ankle or above the calf. So, be sure to try on your compression gear before you buy it, and err on the side of caution, choosing the looser of two sizes if you fall somewhere between two levels of compression.
The second tip is to treat compression gear like every other piece of running clothing or equipment and test them out on short to progressively longer runs leading up to race day. Do not buy a pair of calf compression sleeves at a marathon expo and wear them for the first time during the race the following day.
A friend of mine made this mistake and developed a painful, hard knot in her calf during the race that stayed for days afterward. Only after doing some research online did she discover that she had likely developed a blood clot deep in her leg. While it went away on it’s own after about a week off from running, the situation could have been much worse. Blood clots in the lower leg can break off and travel through the veins and into the lungs, causing a deadly condition known as a pulmonary embolism.
Of course, most people wear compression gear without any serious issues, and many runners swear by them. If you commonly suffer from swollen lower legs or lower leg muscle soreness after you run, it may be worth it for you to try a pair of compression socks, sleeves or tights. Just be sure you buy a pair that fits properly, and try them out well ahead of any long training runs or races.
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