If you think about it, compression technology has been around for quite some time.

I remember my life being dependent on wearing these lovely things when I had my first job at the bank.

Given that I was much heftier back then, I took advantage of the control top variety.

I’m not sure when they got to be so stylish.

Or colorful.

Or therapeutic. After all, isn’t the same pair of hose I bought back in the 80s?

Wow! How quickly did a pair of hose go from being a necessary evil to a fashion statement to a product that is physician recommended!

Now it seems the technology has converged on the running industry.

Sure, we have been wearing tights for warmth and minimal support for decades. Remember when I confided about the lovely pair I wore well into the new millennium? They looked something like this:

Now it seems manufacturers have compressed those tights a bit more, expanded the product line into socks and tops, and made a few health claims. Accodring to Adam Chase of Running Times, the range of benefits includes: enhanced muscle stability, reduced muscle fatigue and soreness, and increased endurance; improved temperature regulation via moisture management and enhanced circulation; skin protection from UV rays; decreased risk of leg edema during travel; and increased removal of lactic acid.

But has research proven any of these points?

According to Coach Jeff of Runners Connect, the answer is, well, maybe or maybe not. On the perfomrance front, it appears that compression clothing enhances aerobic threshold and increases VO2max (maximum capacity of an individual’s body to transport and use oxygen during incremental exercise , which reflects the physical fitness of the individual).

Recovery is a different story, however. Though athletes of all types propose their recovery is quicker, research suggests there is no significant difference in post exercise lactate clearance, heart rate or blood flow for athletes that wore compression gear and those that did not.

But I didn’t want to stop here. I decided to interview a few people who use compression clothing and get their thoughts on the matter.

Stay tuned next week to hear what they had to say.

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