Compression Sleeves may HURT rather than HELP

Medically Reviewed By | Johannah Gregg, DNP FNP-C

It’s common for providers to recommend compression garments to help with injuries and soreness.

You may have also noticed some of your favorite professional basketball, baseball, football, and tennis athletes wearing sleeves, braces, bands, and wraps around various joints and body parts while on the field or court. This became very popular in the 2000s and continued into the next decade.

These may be compression garments; however, there are many types of support that professional athletes now wear. Today, more and more athletes are moving away from compression and searching for other options.

Physical therapists, doctors, and athletic coaches never recommend using compression socks or braces anymore because this outdated method to alleviate pain has been proven to be ineffective. What’s more, it can actually hurt you instead of help.

Decades ago, athletes were taught the RICE method. That stood for “rest, ice, compression, and elevation.” But that’s the last thing you should do. An in-depth study published by the Journal of Athletic Training showed that it simply doesn’t work.

Icing or cryotherapy, for example, has been found to delay the healing process. The same can be said for complete rest, compression and elevation for the targeted body part. Even Dr. Gabe Mirkin, who invented the term “RICE” before completing his medical education back in the 1970s, has since redacted his publications and is vehemently opposed to the “RICE” approach, stating that anything that reduces the body’s natural immune response to injury also delays healing.

It turns out compression is more likely to delay healing. Let’s take a closer look at 5 reasons why you should never wear a compression brace or sleeve on an injured or painful area:

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COMPRESSION STOPS BLOOD FLOW

If you’ve ever worn compression socks or a sleeve, you know it feels like it’s cutting off your blood supply. Well, it is! Compression products act as a tourniquet and stop your blood from flowing into the area where you need it the most. Without fresh oxygen and nutrients that come with fresh blood, healing simply can’t occur.

Think about it: You’d never compress a body part on a person with diabetes who has circulation problems. More and more, the research shows that compression does not improve the healing process. Increasingly, doctors are moving away from compression, and some do not prescribe it at all for post-surgical recovery.

THE BODY’S NATURAL IMMUNE RESPONSE HELPS YOU HEAL

There’s a difference between inflammation and swelling, and it’s worth understanding when you’re injured and looking for relief from pain. Inflammation is a bodily response that is triggered when your living tissues are damaged. It’s an important process your body goes through to remove damaged tissues and help your body heal.

Swelling is the accumulation of fluid within the tissue. Swelling can delay healing because it compresses the small blood vessels in the tissue, preventing the delivery of fresh nutrients, immune molecules, and oxygen to the injured area. Swelling can also lead to a chronic or prolonged inflammatory response, which results in pain and further tissue damage.

When you compress your ankle, wrist, foot or other body part at rest, you squeeze the vessels and collapse your lymphatic system. This prevents the circulation of blood and only prevents swelling temporarily.

Extended Use of Compression Can Cause Problems

It’s unlikely that compression can cause any harm when worn in short bursts. However, tight squeezing on your body for prolonged periods could have some unwanted side effects.

If you compress a body part for more than a few hours, the reduction in circulation can lead to tissue damage. Therefore, compression is not safe for prolonged use.

Compression Is Not Optimal for All Body Types

Any piece of compression clothing, whether it’s compression arm sleeves or knee compression sleeves, may hit the right pressure point on one athlete but completely miss it on another. Factors like proportions, height, and weight will have to be considered with a compression garment. Someone may have to go through a few garments before they feel like they’ve found one that’s wearable, let alone doing anything beneficial for them.

COMPRESSION CAUSES BLOOD PRESSURE TO RISE

An injury or a pain point shouldn’t cause additional health concerns, but that’s exactly what happens when you use excessive or improper compression therapy. Compression can cause systolic blood pressure to increase. That’s because your body must push your blood through the area that’s being squeezed. This can have a lasting effect on vascular elasticity, resulting in an inability to return to normal vascularization after long-term use of compression, resulting in future issues.

But it gets even worse. Compression can also decrease the body's ability to release heat. This can trap excess heat, cause your body to overheat and disrupt the process of thermoregulation. This is a necessary function of a healthy body.

Studies do not support the claims that compression increases performance or blood flow or positively affects recovery.

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TRY INCREDIWEAR CIRCULATION SLEEVES INSTEAD

Unlike compression products, Incrediwear relies on state-of-the-art technology that increases circulation and reduces inflammation to support the healing process.

Incrediwear braces, sleeves, gloves, and socks are recommended by medical professionals, including doctors from the Mayo Clinic, Andrews Institute, The Center for Advanced Orthopedics, ISMI, and many more.

Plus, many professional athletes and trainers in several sports worldwide are proud to be ambassadors for the Incrediwear products they use every day to help improve their performance.

Many studies have proven that increasing circulation brings more oxygen and nutrients to the targeted area, which in turn supports the body’s natural healing process and accelerates recovery. This is just as true for athletes as it is for someone going through the post-operative recovery process.

Incrediwear integrates semiconductor elements Germanium and Carbon within the fabric to release therapeutic negative ions and infrared waves when activated with your own body heat. Those negative ions support cellular function and healing, and the infrared waves activate vibrations on a cellular level, which invites blood flow to the area. This increases circulation and helps the body heal.

When you have enhanced blood flow in a targeted area, it’s simply easier to move your body — which in turn helps you feel better faster.

Incrediwear works for all body types, regardless of age, height, weight, gender, or measurements. With any sleeve, brace, or wrap you choose, you’ll know it will fit right on the first try. Unlike with a lot of compression clothing, there’s no need to feel like your body may be “not right” for anything we offer.

“The difference between Incrediwear and compression is huge,” said Jackson Corley, the founder of Incrediwear. “It just has to touch your skin. When it touches your skin, it increases blood flow and blood speed. It’s allowing your body to heal.”

For optimal success, it’s recommended to use the Incrediwear products both during the day and in bed at night. Again, unlike compression garments, Incrediwear is extremely comfortable and can safely be worn without feeling constricted around the clock. These products can help with everything from sprains and arthritis to muscle fatigue, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, menstrual cramps, and back pain.

Professional athletes who swear by the Incrediwear products know they provide extremely different results from compression-based products. Many people have discovered they no longer need to consider surgery, thanks to Incrediwear’s healing benefits. Many users notice a difference almost instantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should you not wear knee compression sleeves?

Can compression sleeves make swelling worse?

What are the side effects of compression sleeves?

Can knee compression sleeves cause blood clots?