Compression boots. Recovery boots. Inflatable massage boots. Leg massagers. No matter what you call it, compression recovery is an absolute must for any serious athlete because they are a great way to help enhance blood flow and speed up the body’s natural recovery process. This is highly beneficial for duathletes since they are engaging in intense endurance training that involves long periods of intense running and cycling.
So, what is compression recovery? Compression recovery is basically an active recovery technique consisting of inflatable boots (upper body attachments are also available) that run from your foot to your hip and they plug in with an air hose to a compressor. The boots inflate and squeeze different areas (known as zones) from your feet to your hips to enhance blood flow based on a specific level of compression and session time. This process of intermittent pneumatic compression was originally developed as a treatment for patients with circulation issues caused by surgery, trauma, diabetes and other medical conditions. It works based on the idea of peristaltic pulse dynamic compression, or pulsing, which basically mimics the muscle pump of the legs, greatly enhancing the movement of fluid and metabolites out of the limbs. The result is enhanced circulation and rejuvenated sore muscles.
If you regularly push your body without proper recovery, you may break down your body instead of building it up. As an athlete, you stress your muscles as you are training and competing. This stress causes minor tears in your muscle fibers. These tears result in muscle inflammation and the accumulation of metabolic waste. You recover by increasing blood flow to that area and getting proper rest. While sufficient sleep and proper nutrition can help ensure good recovery, if you include at least 30-minutes of compression recovery on a regular basis, you will experience additional benefits.
What compression recovery claims to do is increase the speed of that recovery by manipulating blood flow through the leg by mimicking the muscle pump of the legs. This allows the lymphatic and cardiovascular systems to accelerate the removal of metabolic waste, thus speeding up your body’s natural recovery process and filtering the lactic acid out of the system. Besides improving circulation, it gives you a light massage that helps you relax and reduces delayed onset muscle soreness, swelling, and inflammation. Ultimately, your legs will go from feeling heavy and fatigued to feeling lighter and refreshed.
The ability to consistently perform is a high priority for any athlete. The body adapts to training and becomes stronger and faster. Reduced muscle strength and increased muscle fatigue dramatically reduce the effectiveness of training and may also increase the potential risk of injury. This is why the demand for compression recovery steadily increased for specific athletes such as runners, cyclists, duathletes, and triathletes because it not only speeds up the recovery process, but it also improves athletic performance. Being able to effectively recover in between training sessions means a more consistent performance at the athlete’s highest ability.
In conclusion, the ability to recover rapidly is so important because your ability to train at full strength and get the most benefit is limited if you’re experiencing reduced muscle strength. Compression recovery provides air pressure that massages your legs after intense training, so your body recovers faster and feels fresher so you can perform at your best.
Further Reading
Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Technology for Sports Recovery