Compression Set for Rio Olympics

With the increase in awareness of the benefits to athletes of compression in aiding recovery, it should come as no surprise that in Olympic year, compression clothing is set to make a big impact on all participants at the Rio games later this year.

Many runners, including the USA’s long distance runner Shalene Flanagan, include compression socks as part of her essential preparation for an event and with recent research showing the benefits of compression to both performance and recovery, she is unlikely to be alone.

In a recent study, compression was found to reduce muscle pain, damage and inflammation for runners while also improving the body’s ability to run longer distances. It also demonstrated that positive effects i the delayed onset of muscle fatigue and post exercise leg soreness, helping in the recovery after exercise as well as the performance during it.

So how does this affect those of us that might not be Olympic class athletes?

The underlying science that makes compression effective for athletes has benefits for us all. Compression in the legs that improves the circulation of blood around the body also has benefits for the prevention of ailments such as deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins, meaning that it’s not just Olympic runners that can benefit from compression clothing.

While the hype around the Olympic games gathers, we will likely see more research that shows the benefits of compression clothing in performance and recovery. But whether you’re a runner, a traveller or just want a way to keep a good level of circulation, the benefits of compression are there for everyone.

Take a look at our sports compression socks section and see how you can benefit from compression in recovering from exercise.