The potential dangers of compression gear

John McDonnell

Hi Guys,

 

As triathletes / weekend warrior or just those trying to stay young / recapture our youth, we will try all things that improve our performances and help recovery. One of the best options to come to the fore has been compression. It is widely used throughout both the modern world of medicine and sports. It most definitely has a key role to play in preventing sheer stress on fascial compartments as we run further and faster. With increasing popularity it has become popular for post excercise recovery and this is where I think a word of caution is needed. Running, cycling and any excercise causes trauma to the myofibrils in our muscles and it causes lactate to accumulate, that is washed out in recovery. My concerns stem from this aspect, the wash out. When we apply compression we do to some degree aid washout of the compartments that have oedema (swollen)) and lactate accumulated within them and we divert the blood flow to the main / larger venous system of the lower limb. But it also can cause haemostats in the resting state and reduced blood flow into and from the limb in states of swelling. This must be remembered when we apply compresssion gear , especially where we apply the compression gear. If one is wearing thigh compression done should also wear calf compression gear. This still might cause increases in foot size and this in turn might cause a myriad of complaints from unwanted friction sites in trainers and haemostasis in people that sleep in poorly sized and applied compression gear.