Compression garments reduce muscle fatigue | Hacker News Reader

Compression garments reduce muscle fatigue

newscientist.com

30 pointsFluidDjango12 comments

I wear compression shirts when training jiu jitsu/muay thai. They are amazing for wicking away sweat and keeping you cool. You simply can't go back to cotton t-shirts which soak up sweat and get heavy.

However, how do these garments help keep you warm? I was under the impression that their breathability exposes you to outside temperature more efficiently (which is usually cooler than your body temp).

You wouldn't normally wear a compression shirt on its own if you were training outside. It's all about the layering - so you have a compression shirt that would wick moisture away, a mid-layer of variable material depending upon the temperature, and a 'shell' outer layer (also breathable). The outer-layer helps prevent wind-chill and water getting in, the mid-layer insulates you, and the inner compression layer wicks the moisture away and keeps you comfortable.

Of course, different strokes for different folks, and some people feel the cold more than others!

In terms of warmth:

Thermal underwear > compression garments > nothing.

Compression garments aren't worn by athletes just to keep warm. There has been a hypothesis for years now that compression garments improve performance, speed up recovery, and/or help with injury prevention. That's why I wore compression sleeves a couple months ago for Ironman Cozumel, where it was 85 degrees and I didn't need any help keeping warm.

I realized when I got started in endurance sports a couple years ago that sports are full of advice that somebody tried out and it became doctrine without scientific evidence to support it. Studies like this are key to prove or disprove that conventional wisdom.

The proposed mechanism is very counterintuitive- it is not clear to me why compression would stimulate blood flow, as it typically restricts it.

The same way that the socks and stockings people wear on flights to prevent DVT do (though I don't know what that is).

Compression garments stimulating blood flow is not in any way contentious.

Your veins normally circulate blood by using the normal skeletal muscle contractions in combination of a series of one way valves. In essence, it is a passive system. By applying constant external pressure, you shift the balance of blood flowing between your surface and deep veins (your deep veins carry way more blood). The increase in pressure also increases your blood velocity. Here's a linky

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10633254

Over a decade ago I started developing serious, chronic RSI issues in my hands and wrists due to keyboard/mouse time. I tried changing seating position, etc, and it helped a little.

What really helped though was getting some handeeze gloves. They are fingerless, snug fitting lycra gloves with a double layer of lycra for the cuff. Don't know exactly how they work, but it sounds like it could be a similar principle, and they helped a lot.

I tried to wear a compression shirt for Golf once and it was the worst round of my life. I literally ripped the thing off at the 11th hole.

The thing about compression garments that I learned a good lesson that day is they restrict movement. Reason I guess you don't see any pro golfers use them or NBA players.

What??? Huge numbers of NBA and NFL players wear compression garments under their uniforms!

Sports like rugby, NFL or basketball are very different to golf. The others involve aerobic/anaerobic fitness and strength components along with their skills. While golf involves a very precise, repeated movement (with some speed/strength component) but almost no opportunity for the speedier removal of lactic acid to help you.

The garment just probably interfered with the swinging of your arms, even if only slightly.

On Friday when I cycled home from work, I wore a compression shirt under my cycling jersey for the first time. When I arrived home, I had drunk less than half the water I did the previous trip. This is anecdotal at best, but I'm going to wear it again on the next ride.

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