If you’ve been around at the end of a marathon (or a race of any length), then you’ve probably seen runners wearing compression sleeves.

Starting right under the knee and extending down the calf, these sleeves are worn both during and after runs. Some of them resemble socks and are worn instead of traditional socks, while others stop right under the ankle and are worn with running socks.

What do these compression sleeves do? Can they help you recover after a run? Let’s explore compression sleeves with a little help from My Fit Foods.

What Are Compression Sleeves

Compression sleeves are stretchy garments that are designed to fit snugly on your legs. (Although you can buy them for other parts of your body.) They provide pressure to the legs, compressing the skin and muscles lightly without causing pain.

These sleeves are made from a variety of fabrics, with some being lighter and more breathable while others are sturdier and provide additional support. When you’re buying compression sleeves, you need to go by your calf measurement instead of standard numerical sizes to find ones that fit just right.

When Should I Wear Compression Sleeves?

These compression sleeves can be worn either while working out or during the post-run recovery period. Since they are believed to help during both, it makes sense that runners and other athletes would turn to them.

However, some believe that compression sleeves help more when they’re used after a run. To determine whether this is true, we need to go over exactly how they work.

How Do Compression Sleeves Work?

Compression sleeves are designed to fit on the legs snugly. They shouldn’t be so tight that they cut off blood flow, which would lead to an entirely different set of issues. Instead, they compress the legs and muscles, providing plenty of support and even helping to increase blood flow. Amazingly, one single garment can do all of this — which is why many studies have been done in order to determine exactly how they work at various stages of a workout and after a workout.

While Running

Compression sleeves provide additional support when actively running, preventing the muscles from bouncing around during movement. This makes them less likely to become injured, preventing tears.

Called muscle oscillation, preventing these movements can help people run a little faster and longer than they normally would, keeping the muscles from getting as sore during the process.

In addition to providing support, compression sleeves can also increase blood flow to the muscles during a workout, allowing the athlete to run longer distances. Although some of these studies have come under fire for differing variables, many have shown that overall longevity increases when the garments are worn.

Post-Run

Although the benefits of wearing compression sleeves during a run may still be in question, there are proven advantages to wearing them after a run. These advantages include:

• Lower Probability of DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is a painful condition that appears in the hours after a workout. It includes swelling, soreness, stiffness, and the inability to move freely and comfortably. It usually occurs when someone works out too hard or too intensely without building up to the strength of the workout. Thankfully, using compression sleeves can help prevent DOMS.
• Better Blood Flow: Your muscles need proper flow to and from them, especially when in recovery mode. Compression sleeves do a good job of keeping the blood flow going in both directions, ensuring that the muscles have everything they need to recover successfully and quickly from a workout.
• Higher Lactate Tolerance: Lactate is the substance that’s produced by your muscles when you work out. Remember that as you exercise, you damage your muscles slightly to make them bigger and stronger when they repair themselves while you’re at rest. Lactate plays a role in this. However, its sole job is to make the muscles feel tired. When you’re wearing compression sleeves after a workout, less lactate flows into the muscles, allowing them to recover faster.
• Less Swelling and Pain: If you’re at all familiar with the acronym RICE, then you know that it stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. All of these things team up in order to reduce swelling and pain. The compression part of that can be fulfilled by the compression sleeves, ensuring that you’ll have less swelling and pain as you recover.

Choosing Compression Sleeves

Now that the benefits of wearing compression sleeves after a run are clear, it’s time to discuss how to choose them.

Not all compression sleeves are created equal, so you need to be aware of the various differences when you’re at the store choosing a pair. Here’s what you need to know:

Different Levels of Compression

Usually, compression sleeves have a lower rate of compression at the ankle, which gets higher as you go up the leg. Compression is measured in millimeters of Mercury (mmHg), like a thermometer or blood pressure cuff.

You may see some sleeves sold with varying measurements, depending on where the sleeve sits on the leg, or others with a uniform amount of pressure throughout. The most common measurements range from 10 to 30 mmHg.

Picking the Right Size

We already mentioned sizing up above, as these compression sleeves are sold based on the size of your calf, not your shoe or clothing size. However, it’s important to go into a bit more depth because you also need to pay attention to the sleeves’ overall length.

Obviously, there isn’t a uniform length where legs are concerned, so you’ll need to measure from your ankle to your knee in order to find compression sleeves that are just the right length. They come in a variety of sizes, so keep your measurements on hand when you’re shopping.

Selecting the Best Materials

Compression sleeves come in a number of different materials. Some are thicker than others, providing some warmth along with support, while others are more breathable, making them good for those hot summer days.

If you run a lot — no matter the season — it’s always a smart idea to have them in a variety of materials and thicknesses.

Do Compression Sleeves Help Your Legs After a Run?

The main question asked here is: do compression sleeves help your legs after a run? And the answer is an unequivocal “yes.” They improve your blood flow, minimize pain and swelling, and even prevent the onset of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

In addition to helping after a run, some studies have shown that they may also help during one. The best way to find out is to try them for yourself. On top of a healthy diet, compression sleeves can enhance your performance on the trail. 

Have questions about compression sleeves (or anything else for that matter)? My Fit Foods is here to help!

Sources:

Compression Gear: Hype or Helpful? | Runners World

The Runner’s Guide to Calf Compression Sleeves | Runner’s Blueprint

Do Compression Sleeves Work? The Science + 4 Recommended Sleeves | Marathon Handbook