Compression Clothes: Help, Hype, or Hope for Marathoners?

Compression clothes have been confusing for many marathoners, including me. Is compression gear for marathoners a help, a hype, or a hope?

I’ll start with examples of claims by manufacturers of compression clothes for runners. I’ll look at when these clothes became popular for marathoners. I’ll then answer two questions. First, how does it affect marathoners’ recovery? Second, how does it affect marathoners’ running performance? Next, I’ll share my personal experience with some compression gear. I’ll conclude with some advice about compression clothes for marathoners.

What have manufacturers claimed about compression clothes for marathoners?

Clothing manufacturers have targeted marathoners with several types of compression clothes:

• Shirts;
• Shorts;
• Sleeves;
• Socks;
• Tights.

CEP claims that its calf-compression sleeves worn while running can give runners:

• “improved coordination”;
• “added protection of muscle support”;
• “improve[d] blood flow”.

2XU claims that its compression tights “promote circulation (venous return) for improved oxygenation of muscles to reduce fatigue”.

Skins claims “increase[d] circulation to deliver more oxygen to your working muscles” for its compression tights for runners.

CW-X claims that its compression clothes “[m]aximize support for the body during peak training”.

When did marathoners start wearing compression clothes?

According to the Google Books Ngram Viewer, these phrases first appeared in a book in these years:

• “compression shirts” – not found;
• “compression shorts” – 1987;
• “compression sleeves” – 1933;
• “compression socks” – 1988;
• “compression stockings” – 1958;
• “compression tights” – not found.

So, the concept of compression sleeves has been around the longest. But, these results are from books. Plus, they say nothing about marathoners wearing these compression clothes.

Company histories give more clues for when marathoners started to wear compression clothes:

• 1991 – Wacoal Sports Science Corporation launched CW-X Conditioning Wear for the performance sports apparel market.
• 1996 – Brad Duffy founded Skins to make compression sportswear.
• 2005 – Three men founded 2XU Pty Ltd. to sell sports apparel including compression garments.
• 2007 – The company medi founded the CEP brand to sell compression clothes to athletes.

So, compression clothes for marathoners may have become available as early as 1991. But, it was in the first decade of the 21st century that they hit their stride. This is consistent with a Time article about the compression-clothes craze in sports. That article claimed that the craze started with an NBA player in 2001. This also is consistent with a Deadspin article. That article claimed, “… sales of compression gear [to runners] jump[ed] 170 percent from 2008 to 2010….”

How do compression clothes affect marathoners’ recovery?

There are two variations to this question.

1. How do compression clothes worn DURING a long run affect recovery?
2. How do compression clothes worn AFTER a long run affect recovery?

Let’s answer each of these in turn.

#1 – How do compression clothes worn DURING a long run affect recovery?

The answer to this first sub-question requires studies that look at long runs. Let’s look at two articles that might help.

Article #1 – A group of researchers performed a study with rugby players. Each player completed two 30-minute treadmill runs. The control run had each rugby player wear shorts. The trial run had each rugby player wear (waist-to-ankle) compression tights. This study focused on “repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise interspersed with periods of low-intensity exercise or recovery.” The researchers found that compression tights worn during these bouts could augment recovery. Unfortunately, this study is not applicable to long runs by marathoners.

Article #2 – Another group of researchers reviewed 23 published studies about compression garments and exercise. The researchers concluded:

“The effects of wearing compression garments during exercise are controversial, as most studies failed to demonstrate a beneficial effect on immediate or performance recovery, or on delayed onset of muscle soreness.”

So, neither article supports wearing compression clothes during long runs to aid recovery.

#2 – How do compression clothes worn AFTER a long run affect recovery?

The answer to this second sub-question also requires studies that look at long runs. Let’s look at three studies that might help.

Study #1 – Rugby players wore compression tights for 24 h after a simulated rugby game. Other rugby players wore placebo tights. These looked similar but provide no compression. The researchers concluded:

“Delayed onset muscle soreness was substantially lower in the compression group compared with the placebo group, 48 hours after testing.”

Unfortunately, a simulated rugby game is not like a long run.

Study #2 – Trained athletes wore whole-body compression gear for 24 h after a resistance-exercise routine. The researchers concluded:

“A whole[-]body compression garment worn during the 24-hour recovery period after an intense heavy resistance training workout enhances various psychological, physiological, and a few performance markers of recovery compared with noncompressive control[-]garment conditions. The use of compression appears to help in the recovery process after an intense heavy[-]resistance[-]training workout in men and women.”

Unfortunately, heavy-resistance exercise is not like a long run.

Study #3 – Volunteers wore full-leg compression stockings for 12 h after plyometric drop-jumps. Volunteers completed 10 sets of 10 jumps from a 0.6-meter box to induce muscle damage. The researchers concluded:

“…compression clothing is an effective recovery strategy following exercise-induced muscle damage.”

Unfortunately, this type of muscle damage may not be like muscle damage from a long run.

None of these recovery studies matched what marathoners do on long runs. So, none endorse the idea of marathoners wearing compression clothes after long runs.

How do compression clothes affect marathoners’ running performance?

In one study, athletes with moderate training wore calf-compression sleeves on treadmill runs. They ran to exhaustion at 100% maximal aerobic velocity. The researchers concluded:

“Within the framework of this study, the compression sleeves do not improve running performance….”

In another study, researchers looked at sub-maximal and maximal endurance performance in athletes. All fifteen well-trained athletes completed tests with and without compression clothes. The clothes included compression stockings, compression tights, and whole-body compression suits. The researchers concluded:

“…there were no performance benefits when using the compression garments.”

In a third study, competitive runners completed 40-minute treadmill runs. They ran with graduated-compression stockings (GCS) and again without those stockings. The researchers concluded:

“…healthy runners wearing GCS did not experience any physiological benefits during or following treadmill running.”

None of these studies focused on running durations in the marathon range of two to six hours. But, suppose that these studies were applicable to those durations. Then none of them support marathoners wearing compression clothes on long runs.

My personal experience

Some marathoners swear by compression clothes. Here’s an account of my personal experience with compression tights. It’s not scientific, but it supports what researchers have found.

I wore compression tights on runs all year long in Houston, Texas, for two or three years. I started because a non-runner relative gave me a pair as a Christmas gift — to stay warm in an upcoming marathon. I first wore them to keep my legs warm in colder weather. I liked how they felt, and I, too, began to swear by them.

I even kept wearing them whenever the Houston weather became hotter and more humid. Other marathoners asked me about comfort on hot, humid runs in the summer. My answer was that I liked the warmth for my leg muscles. And, they seemed to wick away sweat from my legs faster than I would get with shorts.

But, I no longer wear compression tights. I stopped after reading an article that showed dangerous swelling below calf-compression sleeves. This was consistent with pain that I got in my feet on longer runs with compression tights.

My advice

Peer-reviewed research to support wearing compression clothes AFTER long runs is lacking. But, suppose that you insist on trying to wear them after long runs to aid recovery. Then I’d recommend trying compression socks. Note, though, that:

• Repeated washings and wear of compression socks may weaken their compression over time;
• Medical-grade compression socks can be much cheaper than those marketed to runners;
• Medical-grade compression socks account for calf and ankle circumference, not only shoe size.

In contrast, what about wearing compression clothes DURING long runs? Solid research is lacking to support wearing compression clothes during long runs:

• For better running performance;
• To support recovery afterward;
• To avoid injuries.

If you want to avoid injuries during long runs, check out Injury-Avoidance Habits for First-Time Marathoners and Half-Marathoners. It’s helpful for veteran marathoners, too.

Interested? Click here:

Image Credit: Pixabay