Athletes - CAPE Bionics

Custom fit compression improves player recovery

July 9, 2024

Fixture congestion in team sports reduces time available for player recovery, increases injury risk and can affect player wellbeing. This can reduce a team’s performance over the course of a season and have significant financial implications. In the days following an intense match, reductions in muscle function, increases in muscle damage, and increases in perceptions of fatigue and muscle soreness have been reported amongst players. Muscle soreness is reported to peak around 24-72 hours post competition, therefore strategies to reduce feelings of muscle soreness can enhance player recovery and readiness to train post match. Compression garments can improve player recovery,

Travelling soon? Why custom fit compression garments are so important.

June 3, 2024

Air travel can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and other circulatory problems due to prolonged periods of reduced mobility. Compression garments have been shown to reduce the incidence of DVT, superficial vein thrombosis and oedema during travel (Clarke et al., 2021). Who should use compression garments for travel? Anyone who undertakes frequent travel such as air crew, athletes, business or recreational travellers would be well advised to use compression garments to maintain health whilst flying. Due to intense competition schedules, many elite athletes are required to travel extensively throughout a competitive season. Therefore, adopting strategies to minimise

When NASA and the European Space Agency call – Cape answers

April 30, 2024

3D scanning allows us to produce highly accurate and beneficial custom-fit compression garments. Scanning is much faster than traditional measuring tapes, it takes more measurements, it is more accurate, and it has a theatre about it that athletes love. We initially used professional scanning units, but soon developed smaller, cheaper, easier and more deployable technologies based on iPads. Our technology is now recognised as world leading. We were recently requested to demonstrate it to the European Space Agency, and trial two of our scanning technologies at NASA in Houston. NASA plans to deploy our technology on orbit to understand how the body changes

Introducing the new CAPE Custom-fit Therapy range

March 12, 2024

CAPE now offers you more garments! Introducing the new CAPE custom-fit Therapy range, with specific garments for rehabilitation, joint stability, exercise recovery and activity for different muscle groups. New programs of multiple garments and regimes have been developed for optimum Grade 2 and 3 rehabilitation, such as ACL surgery. Using an iPad and our own CAPE app, you can 3D scan your clients and offer medical-grade compression that actually works. Why do Physical Therapists love CAPE? Why do patients love CAPE? For more info on CAPE Therapy, please click here: Contact Us – CAPE Bionics

New Year – New Compression

January 18, 2024

With the start of the new year, it’s time to rethink compression. Until recently athletes could only choose retail compression, which means that lots of different players are wearing the same size garments. This means the compression is all over the place, and the outcome is a guess. For example, one size in a commercially available brand is suggested to fit athletes ranging from 150-185cm and 65-90kg! Hill et al. (2015) showed considerable variation in the pressure exerted by commercially available compression garments, and it has also been shown that poorly fitting garments have no effect or even

Can compression garments assist in reducing risk of injury?

December 8, 2023

Compression garments have been shown to improve athlete recovery, but what about injury prevention? We take a look into some of the latest research on whether compression garments can play a role in reducing risk of injuries. What do athletes think about compression for injury? In a recent study investigating lower body compression garment use by athletes, over 500 athletes were asked to provide information regarding their reasons for using compression garments and their perceived benefits (Franke et al., 2021). The primary reason that these athletes used compression garments was to prevent reinjury, with 48% of athletes reporting this as

Introducing Lindsay Trimmings

November 23, 2023

For the past decade, I have worked for Swim England, the National Governing Body for Aquatic sport in England. I was initially employed in the talent development space and more latterly in coach development. Over the past few years, I held the role of Head of Coaching and led the creation of the first strategic plan for aquatics coaching in England. Prior to moving to Swim England, I worked as a swimming and strength and conditioning coach in a private school that ran a scholarship programme for aspiring junior athletes. Swimming was always my passion and whilst I had chosen

“It takes our level of care and player recovery to the next level” Dr Ian McKeown on 3D-scanned compression

November 3, 2023

Dr Ian McKeown, Vice President of Athlete Performance and Wellness, at the Philadelphia Flyers, always wants to make sure his players feel more prepared than anyone else. “We’re covering all bases with them and this is a great tangible example of us giving each individual exactly what they need.” By using 3D scanned compression, each player receives custom fitted garments which apply accurate compression for proven benefits. Dr McKeown emphasises how important this is to professional athletes. “In professional sport, players are all shapes and sizes, they don’t fit standard sized garments. The players love the custom fit of CAPE,

Space Science to Sport Science – Revolutionising compression garments for elite athletes

June 30, 2023

CAPE Bionics have revolutionised athletic compression wear by using scientific principles from the design of spacesuits to produce the most advanced compression garments both on and off the planet! The application of Space Science to Sports Science CAPE Bionics founder Dr James Waldie has spent over 20 years researching and designing compression suits for astronauts. He was involved with a number spacesuit programs with MIT, NASA and the European Space Agency, and developed his own skinsuit design which was used on the International Space Station. Space travel places a huge amount of physiological strain on the human body. The weightlessness

Introducing Sam Feldman – US Business Development Manager

May 18, 2023

We are pleased to welcome Sam Feldman to the CAPE team as our US Business Development Manager. Sam is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and was a former Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Atlanta Braves. Let’s hear more about Sam. Tell us about your background I received my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at Penn State University, during which time I also worked with the volleyball team. At University of Georgia, I received my MS in Exercise Science where I blended the Clinical Exercise Physiology focus with the Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness focus. While at UGA I was

Introducing Samuel Lewis – PhD Scholar

April 24, 2023

We are pleased to welcome Samuel Lewis as a PhD Scholar working in collaboration with CAPE, Queensland University of Technology and the Queensland Academy of Sport. Tell us about your background I am originally born and raised in Canada where I completed my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with Honours at the University of Waterloo. While in Canada I was always involved in some sort of sport with my favourite being Canadian football but also quite fond of baseball, archery and powerlifting. After graduating my bachelor’s, I flew over to Germany where I completed my Master of High-Performance Sport at

Kicking off the 2023 season. How team sport athletes can get an advantage from custom fit compression.

March 9, 2023

With the start of the NRL season underway and the AFL season just days away, we look into how team sport athletes can use custom fit compression to get a competitive edge. The importance of custom fit compression Within a professional sports team, there are players of all different shapes and sizes. Therefore the only way to ensure each player receives optimal compression is to have garments custom fitted based on a 3D scan. Custom fit provides the highest level of precision with no two garments sized exactly the same. Standard sized (off the shelf) compression garments are based purely

Custom fit compression, the best value recovery device you can own.

February 10, 2023

Many devices and modalities are used by athletes to facilitate recovery, however nothing provides greater value for money than custom fit compression. Here’s why: Research has shown that wearing custom fit compression garments results in faster recovery of lower body strength in rugby players following exercise induced muscle damage. When custom fit compression garments were worn, recovery of lower body strength was 10% greater than off the shelf compression or no compression. Lower body strength performance returned to baseline values after 24 hours with custom fit compression however was still impaired after 48 hours when commercially available garments were worn

Has the ice age finally ended? Is it time for the space age to lift off?

December 15, 2022

For many years athletes have been using ice baths (cold water immersion) to enhance recovery. Ice is also commonly used in the treatment of acute sporting injuries. However recent research has questioned the use of ice for recovery purposes and injury management. So could this be the end of the ice age? Use of ice for the treatment of sporting injuries Ice is widely used in the treatment of sporting injuries on the assumption that it reduces inflammation and speeds up the healing process. However, there is little evidence to support the use of ice in the management of

Compression Garments – Sports Grade Standard Fit V Medical Grade Custom Fit

November 24, 2022

The use of compression garments originated in the medical industry as a means to treat conditions such as burns, deep vein thrombosis, lymphedema, and venous insufficiency. Compression garments have been shown to improve circulation, increase venous return and reduce oedema. More recently the physiological impact of compression garments have been used by athletes with the intention of enhancing recovery by reducing inflammation and muscle soreness. What is the difference between sports and medical grade compression? For compression garments to be effective, the correct pressure must be applied to the skin. Recent research showed that medical grade compression socks exhibited

Recovery and Travel compression for Ironman World Championship

October 18, 2022

Our Sports Physiologist Dr Annette Eastwood recently travelled to Hawaii to compete in the Ironman World Championships. We caught up with Annette to see how CAPE custom fit compression assisted with her travel and recovery. Travel The flight to Hawaii was almost 10 hours during which time I used the custom fit calf sleeves. I was amazed that I didn’t have any swelling in my feet or ankles at all, and my legs felt great when I walked off the plane. I went for a run when I arrived and had no stiffness or soreness in my calves which was

Category: Athletes