What it’s for
- Condition-specific compression
- Reported recovery practice
For sports recovery, the relevant details are the device, pressure, coverage and session duration. Feeling less sore is a different outcome from recovering performance.
External pressure from garments, bandages or pneumatic devices, with distinct uses and settings.
Purpose, evidence and practical considerations.
For sports recovery, the relevant details are the device, pressure, coverage and session duration. Feeling less sore is a different outcome from recovering performance.
Medical garment findings are condition-specific. A small sham-controlled trial in trained cyclists found better subjective recovery after pneumatic compression, but no advantage in the next-day cycling test. It does not establish the best settings or benefits for every sport.
Confidence: moderate
Poor fit can irritate skin or compress nerves. Sustained medical compression has contraindications including severe arterial disease and severe heart failure; device and condition-specific assessment is needed.
Compression garments apply sustained pressure, while pneumatic boots repeatedly inflate and release. Medical compression for a diagnosed condition and boots used after sport have different aims; evidence for one does not automatically apply to the other.
The evidence on this page does not automatically apply to:
How people use it, with their schedules, context and original sources.
Reviewed branded products and distinct forms related to Compression therapy. A listing is not an endorsement.
Hyperice
These share a protocol with this intervention. This does not establish that they work together or are suitable alternatives.