Do compression garments facilitate muscle recovery after exercise?

An international research team, led by assistant professor Janos Negyesi from Tohoku University's Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, performed a systematic review with meta-analysis to assess whether compression garments assist with muscle recovery.

Systematic reviews identify and synthesize data from all relevant studies, and sit at the highest level on the evidence-based medicine pyramid. The researcher's review used a generic inverse variance model, which adjusts the weight of individual studies according to sample size, to more accurately assess the effects of compression garments than previous meta-analyses.

Contrary to results found in individual research, the meta-analytical evidence suggests that wearing a compression garment during or after training does not facilitate muscle recovery.

"Even data from our previous study supported the idea that such garments have the potential to reduce strength loss after a strenuous workout," said Dr. Négyesi. "However, when we synthesized the data of all relevant studies, we found no effect of compression garments on strength recovery-even when factoring in exercise type and when and where the compression garment is applied."