![]() ![]() For more than 60 years, the world has known the benefits of compression. ![]() But to heal the sick.įrom the middle of the 20th century, doctors and physicians used compression garments to treat patients who were recovering from surgery, fractures, burns, lymphedema, arthritis, varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis. And it was developed not to enable superstar sportsmen. Fowler’s nose plaster and Vieira’s vapour rub now look as fanciful as Eric Cantona wearing his shirt collar turned up or John Terry sporting his socks above his knee, a moment in time as fleeting as footballers in Alice bands, snoods and headbands.Ĭompression sportswear is a bit different because the science behind it has been around for almost a century. Today’s hot sportswear fad can quickly become yesterday’s lukewarm fashion accessory. And at London 2012, it was all over the aching limbs of the track and field athletes. Mario Balotelli wore Kinesio tape on his back, David Beckham wore it on his ribs and Gareth Bale wore it on his thighs when he was at Spurs. Invented by a Japanese doctor called Kenzo Kase 30 years ago, it was enormously popular with footballers. But what footballer wears a nose plaster on his hooter these days? And who sticks vapour rub on their shirt now? Until compression came along, the most successful sportswear trend in recent years was Kinesio tape – those strips of often brightly coloured tape that are meant to relieve pain and ease muscles in movement. ![]() Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira once took to the pitch with a dollop of vapour rub staining the front of his shirt to help those midfielder’s muscles get as much oxygen as possible. Liverpool’s Robbie Fowler once wore an anti-snoring nose plaster, all the better to open his nasal passages. Many are the fads and fashion of sportswear. So I tried compression gear – socks at first, then shorts, then a T-shirt, then a long-sleeve shirt and pants. Pressure reduces inflammation, increases blood circulation, lessens lactic acid and improves recovery rate. But the principle remains exactly the same. The compression kit that you can buy from specialists such as Skins, Under Armour, 2XU, Zensah and Lurbel, or indeed Nike and Adidas, is not exactly the same as the compressionwear doctors recommend after surgery because some of that stuff is so tight that it requires a prescription. There it stands in the acronym RICE – rest, ice, compression and elevation. We already know that compression is crucial for any soft-tissue injuries. ![]()
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