Compression garments work but only if they fit perfectly and apply the correct compression regime.
Research has shown that off the shelf compression garments provide variable levels of compression and inconsistent benefits (Hill et al., 2015). Custom fit is the only way to ensure that each athlete receives accurate compression for positive benefits every time.
Think of it this way: with standard sized garments, a few athletes may receive positive benefits, but only if by chance the garment fits their body shape and size perfectly. Highly unlikely for most people, especially elite athletes who are not typical shapes and sizes!
Most athletes wearing standard sized garments will experience no / minimal benefits. A meta-analysis showed non-significant performance effects from wearing compression garments (da Silva et al., 2018). These findings are likely due to that fact that the studies included in the meta-analysis used standard sized garments, and therefore the subjects did not receive accurate compression for positive benefits.
In some cases athletes may even experience a negative effect with standard sized garments. This has also been reported in the literature. Poorly fitting garments have been shown to have a detrimental effect on performance (Wannop et al., 2016).
The high level of variability demonstrated with standard sized garments (Hill et al., 2015, Brown et al., 2022a) explains why most athletes are not receiving positive physiological benefits from these garments.
Conversely, custom fit compression garments are sized to each individual athlete based on a 3D scan. This ensures perfect fit and accurate compression every time, resulting in positive benefits for all athletes (as shown in the graph above).
In a comparison between custom fit and standard sized garments, it was shown that custom fit compression garments resulted in 10% faster recovery of lower body strength in Rugby players (Brown et al., 2022). The standard sized garments were no more effective at improving athlete recovery than a sham treatment!
Given the inconsistent benefits proven with standard sized garments, the only way to ensure that all athletes get positive benefits from compression is to choose custom fit.
REFERENCES
- Brown, F, Hill, JA., Pedler, CR. (2022a). Compression Garments for Recovery from Muscle Damage: Evidence and Implications of Dose Responses. Current Sports Medicine Reports (21 (2); 45-52.
- Brown, F, Jeffries, O, Gissane, C, Howatson, G, van Someren, K, Pedlar, C, Myers, T, and Hill, JA. (2022b): Custom-fitted compression garments enhance recovery from muscle damage in rugby players. J Strength Cond Res. 36(1): 212-219.
- da Silva, C. A., Helal, L., da Silva, R. P., Belli, K. C., Umpierre, D., & Stein, R. (2018). Association of Lower Limb Compression Garments During High-Intensity Exercise with Performance and Physiological Responses: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 48, 1859-1873.
- Hill, J., Howatson, G., Someren, K., Davidson, S., & Pedlar, C. (2015). The variation in pressures exerted by commercially available compression garments. Sports Engineering (Springer Science & Business Media B.V.), 18, 115-121.
- Wannop, J. W., Worobets, J. T., Madden, R., & Stefanyshyn, D. J. (2016). Influence of Compression and Stiffness Apparel on Vertical Jump Performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 30, 1093-1101.
