Compression underwear

Compression clothing

Content

What is it for?
How does it work?
Kinds
Material
Manufacturers
When to wear and how to wear?
Contraindications
Reviews

What is it for?

Compression clothing is not yet so widespread and famous so as not to tell more about it. The word compression in translation from English means "squeezing". Thus, compression garments are products that provide balanced external pressure on soft tissues to reduce vein size.

Compared to simple cotton clothes, Compression has several advantages:

low weight;
more worn, as it is made of durable and flexible synthetic fabrics;
better fit the body, supporting muscles;
improves blood flow and accelerates blood circulation;
perfectly removes moisture from the body and promotes its evaporation;
possesses good thermoregulation, maintaining a constant temperature;
perfectly passes air to the surface of the body;
constantly keeps muscles in a warmed state;
reduces muscle tension, minimizes the risk of seizures;
prevents "clogging" and the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles;
reduces the recovery period after physical exertion;
increases working capacity and endurance;
reduces swelling of the lower extremities;
protects against microbes thanks to a special antibacterial impregnation;
specially treated seams do not cause discomfort;
prevents the appearance of corns and corns;
protects against ultraviolet radiation.

Initially, the effect of compression was used only in medical practice in the adjunctive treatment of diseases of the joints, musculoskeletal system and vascular system.And today in hospitals after severe injuries and complex operations prescribe compression knitwear in order to reduce the recovery period.

Over time, compression clothing adapted to be used not only in treatment, but also in everyday life. Special socks, socks, tights and leggings are useful, for example, when sedentary or standing work, during long trips in land transport or during air travel.

Due to the constricting effect of the “compression”, the blood flow is transferred more into the legs, which, in turn, significantly reduces the load on the veins.

The increased pressure of the compression hosiery on the surface of the body helps the athlete to be more aware of his position in the surrounding space, this can make him more dexterous, flexible and stable.

Through such clothes, oxygen-rich blood enters the active muscles, so the athlete has the opportunity to work even more efficiently. In this case, the pulse does not increase, as in ordinary clothes, but decreases, thus overloading the heart is removed.

Compression clothing for sports is necessary as a prevention of varicose veins, thrombosis and injuries. Recently, it has become an indispensable subject of sports equipment in track and field athletics, cycling, football, hockey, cardio, skiing and speed skating, and so on.

Compression clothing helps to remove lactic acid, or lactate, from the muscles along with venous blood and lymph, which usually causes pain and aches in the body the next day after intense training. Therefore, when using the “compression” muscles will ache less, even after very intense and lengthy workouts.

How does it work?

The principle of the compression garment is that it compresses the blood vessels and presses the muscles with different intensities. Blood, rising through the vessels from the bottom up, is forced to overcome the force of gravity, passing through the so-called venous valves. These valves are organized in such a way that blood can only flow towards the heart. When operating under normal conditions, they bleed up, but do not allow it to return down and accumulate there, since this is associated with the risk of edema and blood clots.

With increasing physical activity, when a person is forced to strain his muscles or just stand for a long time, venous valves, unfortunately, can not cope with the task, because at this time the pressure of the venous blood increases, the pulse accelerates, and the circulatory system noticeably overloads .

At the same time, the veins expand greatly, the venous valves stop closing and bleed in the opposite direction, which leads to an even more significant expansion of the vein.

Just so that such changes in loads do not lead to varicose veins, it is recommended to use elastic compression, which “straightens” the venous valves and facilitates their functioning. The narrowing of the lumen of the vein as a result of the use of compression hosiery leads to an acceleration of blood flow, thus preventing the formation of blood clots.

Compression clothing provides compression of varying degrees: the lower the muscles, the more pressure should be applied, making it easier to move the blood stream from the area of greater compression to less.

Kinds

Compression clothing on the market is represented by various options, the main ones are:

Socks, leggings and socks - produce compression of the muscles in the region of the leg.

Stockings and tights - created for the prevention of varicose veins in women.

Leggings, tights and shorts - come in full length or three quarters.

Sleeves and legs - support the muscles of the hands, forearm and legs.

T-shirts (rashguard) - are made with different lengths of sleeves or without them.

Sconce and short T-shirts - products for women.

Material

Compression clothing is made from synthetic elastic fibers of cotton and nylon, microfiber and lycra. Thus, a rather aesthetic light material is obtained that fits the body tightly.

Compression knitwear should sit in a dressing and dress with difficulty, but not constrain movement.

Compression clothing is sewn from a special antimicrobial and antifungicidal material that prevents the formation and development of bacteria and fungi. Thanks to this, the athlete does not feel the unpleasant smell of sweat. Moreover, such a knitwear is called "breathable", it allows you to evaporate moisture as quickly as possible. Such products are hypoallergenic and pleasant to the skin.

Wash compression clothing with a special detergent no more than once a week, and after each training session, you just need to rinse it in warm water. The temperature of the washing water should not be higher than 35 degrees, because of boiling water, such things will become worthless. Drying should be done at room temperature, flattened on a towel, using a tumble dryer or battery is prohibited.

Manufacturers

Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Puma, Skins, 2XU, Asics, Venum, Under Armor, Fuji, Contract Killer, Manto, Hayabusa, Jaco, Fixgear, Koral, Compressport, Scramble, X-Bionic, Bad Boy, Title, CEP and many other well-known manufacturers included compression clothing in their product range.

The famous company Skins, usually produce two sets of compression clothing for each popular sport - the first for normal temperatures, the other for the cool season.

Adidas compression garments under the TECHFIT brand are also divided into groups depending on the sport, the necessary thermal conductivity and compression strength. Clothing of this brand can stretch five times, and then instantly return to its original state.

Puma's compression products include silicone inserts that extend along the muscles, stimulating blood circulation.

Nike compression clothing is also quite in demand, but its prices are somewhat overpriced, as the consumer overpays for the promotion of the brand. Analogs of patented Dri-Fit technology of similar quality can be purchased at a lower cost.

The name of the famous Australian brand 2XU in Russian sounds like "Twice you." The products of this company are in demand among world famous champions and teams, such as the NBA. Compression clothing of this company is sewn from the unique PWX material of three types with different properties.

When to wear and how to wear?

Compression clothing is usually worn during exhausting and lengthy workouts, as well as during competitions. After heavy loads, tired muscles in such clothes will recover faster and will not “whine”.

During normal, routine exercises, it is not recommended to use “compression”: with continuous use, an overdose effect may occur, blood vessels and muscles will begin to be lazy and cease to maintain their natural activity. And this can cause the same trouble as with insufficient squeezing.

Another reason for using compression hosiery under unusual loads is a predisposition to varicose veins. If you are concerned about symptoms such as swelling, spider veins and swollen saphenous veins, then such clothing will be your necessary assistant and doctor.

Contraindications

In medicine, there are four classes of compression. But to independently choose and purchase compression clothing will turn out only the first class of compression, since it is only used for prevention when it detects the above health problems. In the advanced case, as well as in the presence of diseases such as atherosclerosis, orthoarteritis, endoarteritis and thromboangiitis obliterans, specialist consultation is necessary.

Reviews

Reviews of athletes regarding products of well-known manufacturers almost do not contain negativity, few regret buying. Compression clothing successfully copes with its task of protecting the health of its owners and preventing the development of intractable occupational diseases.

The main marked advantages of compression clothing are that it sits like a second skin, cools in the heat and warms in the cold, dries quickly, is comfortable to wear, does not squeeze, does not pull, does not rub, does not fold, is durable, does not tear in training and competitions, easily removed from the body, even wet. Athletes also note the ability of such clothes to quickly relieve tension after exhausting classes.

Negative reviews, as a rule, concern products of a low price segment. They are mainly associated with low-quality materials from which appropriate clothing is sewn.

Such users in their reviews complain that the clothes tear when pulled, folds in folds and quickly loses an attractive appearance.