Does compression help?

The socks helped me in Boston.

I’m a believer in the compression tights and socks. They are not going to produce PRs without the work, but I think they are a tool that more runners should employ. The thinking behind the compression garments is that they boost/improve blood flow to the muscles. This improved blood flow allows the muscles to receive more oxygen. It also improves the muscles’ ablitity to get rid of waste products. This allows athletes to reduce their fatigue and improve recovery. I’ve had good experience with wearing compression both while working out and post-workout as a recovery enhancer.

Dr. Stephane Perrey co-authored a study that found tights with targeted compression reduced oxygen needs (thus improving efficiency). According to this study, the tights reduced oscillation and limited unnecessary muscle motion. He had runners run in tights, tights with targeted compression, and traditional running gear. In the initial short run, both tights and targeted compression made runners more efficient than traditional shorts. In more intense running, the targeted compression made an even greater difference in improving efficiency. He stated that the compression may trim six minutes of a 3:30 marathoner’s time.

Indiana University says not so fast, though. They’ve published two studies that imply compression may be more hype than help. In one study, Chapman, Stager, et al studied the oxygen consumption of athletes wearing compression socks that extend just over the knee. Some runners were more efficient with the compression socks on and some were less efficient. This correlated pretty closely with their expectations. If they entered the study with positive notions about compression, then it they were more efficient. If they had negative ideas about the socks, then they were less efficient. In the article, the author of the study seemed to be pretty skeptical about compression. He said, “To think there is something you can just put on and immediately you are better at what you do, just seemed too good to be true.” I don’t think any makers of compression garments would argue that a sock is going to do all the work, but whatever. The authors of this study found that oxygen consumption was not improved and form was unchanged when wearing the socks.
The other study dealt with compression shorts that covered the thigh. Eckert found that these types of shorts did nothing to increase vertical jump. So they did not make the muscles more efficient at explosive exercises. This is not really applicable to long distance runners in my opinion.

Neither of these studies really addresses the fact that compression garments can help reduce injuries by improving recovery. They also don’t really test the usefulness of full tights in the field of compression. It would be ideal to see more studies done on compression garments since they are a growing trend in the running field right now. They don’t make everything easy, but I think they do help you do the work.

Anecdotally, I’ve run three races with my compression socks and a couple of races with my full tights. Each race has been successful for me. Also, I feel a lot better after a twenty-miler if I wear some compression during and afterwards. It probably falls into the category of Well-It-Worked-For-Me. I encourage you to try some compression garments and see if they work for you, too.