Comparison of three types of full-body compression garments on throwing and repeat-sprint performance in cricket players * COMMENTARY

Abstract

To compare the effects of three types of full-body compression garments (Skins, Adidas and Under Armour) on repeat-sprint and throwing performance in cricket players.
Following familiarisation, 10 male cricket players performed four randomised exercise sessions (3 garments and a control). Each session involved a 30 min repeat-sprint exercise protocol comprising 20 m sprints every minute, separated by submaximal exercise. Throwing tests included a pre-exercise and a postexercise maximal distance test and accuracy throwing tests. During each session, measures of heart rate, skin temperature, change in body mass, rate of perceived exertion and perceived muscle soreness were recorded. Capillary blood samples were analysed before and after exercise for lactate, pH, O(2) saturation and O(2) partial pressure, and 24 h after exercise for creatine kinase (CK). Ratings of perceived muscle soreness were also obtained 24 h after exercise.
No significant differences (p>0.05) were evident in repeat-sprint performance (10 m, 20 m time or total submaximal distance covered) or throwing performance (maximum distance or accuracy). No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed in heart rate, body mass change or blood measures during exercise. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed by way of higher mean skin temperature, lower 24 h postexercise CK values and lower 24 h postexercise ratings of muscle soreness when wearing compression garments. Analysis between respective brands of compression garments revealed no statistical differences (p>0.05).
No benefit was noted when wearing compression garments for repeat-sprint or throwing performance; however, the use of the garments as a recovery tool, when worn after exercise, may be beneficial to reduce postexercise trauma and perceived muscle soreness.

Full text

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Comparison of three types of full-body compression garments
on throwing and repeat-sprint performance in cricket players
Rob Duffield, Marc Portus
...................................................................................................................................
See end of article for
authors’ affiliations
........................
Correspondence to:
Dr R Duffield, School of
Human Movement, Charles
Stuart University, Panorama
Ave, Bathurst, NSW 2795,
Australia; rduffield@csu.
edu.au
Accepted 7 February 2007
Published Online First
5 March 2007
........................
Br J Sports Med 2007;41:409–414. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2006.033753
Objective: To compare the effects of three types of full-body compression garments (Skins, Adidas and Under
Armour) on repeat-sprint and throwing performance in cricket players.
Methods: Following familiarisation, 10 male cricket players performed four randomised exercise sessions (3
garments and a control). Each session involved a 30 min repeat-sprint exercise protocol comprising 20 m
sprints every minute, separated by submaximal exercise. Throwing tests included a pre-exercise and a
postexercise maximal distance test and accuracy throwing tests. During each session, measures of heart rate,
skin temperature, change in body mass, rate of perceived exertion and perceived muscle soreness were
recorded. Capillary blood samples were analysed before and after exercise for lactate, pH, O
2
saturation
and O
2
partial pressure, and 24 h after exercise for creatine kinase (CK). Ratings of perceived muscle
soreness were also obtained 24 h after exercise.
Results: No significant differences (p.0.05) were evident in repeat-sprint performance (10 m, 20 m time or total
submaximal distance covered) or throwing performance (maximum distance or accuracy). No significant
differences (p.0.05) were observed in heart rate, body mass change or blood measures during exercise.
Significant differences (p,0.05) were observed by way of higher mean skin temperature, lower 24 h postexercise
CK values and lower 24 h postexercise ratings of muscle soreness when wearing compression garments. Analysis
between respective brands of compression garments revealed no statistical differences (p.0.05).
Conclusions: No benefit was noted when wearing compression garments for repeat-sprint or throwing
performance; however, the use of the garments as a recovery tool, when worn after exercise, may be
beneficial to reduce postexercise trauma and perceived muscle soreness.
C
ompression garments are elastic, body-moulded suits
with an engineered compression gradient that can be
worn as an upper-, lower- or full-body piece. Compression
garments and elastic stockings have long been used in medicine
to assist with venous return and reduce peripheral swelling in
vascular patients.
12
Relatively recently, commercially available
compression garments have been proposed to provide perfor-
mance benefits to athletes.
3
These garments, worn during
training and competition to aid performance and after exercise
to speed recovery, are suggested to improve peripheral circula-
tion and venous return,
45
improve clearance of blood lactate
[La
2
],
6
reduce muscle oscillation
7
and improve clearance of
markers of muscle damage such as creatine kinase (CK).
8
Of late, there has been an increase in the popularity of the
use of compression garments across a range of sports,
particularly among cricket players. Although a significant body
of research evidence exists describing the role of compression
garments in vascular distribution in diseased patients, less
evidence exists for athletic sports performance. To date, only a
small body of research supports the notion that the garments
may provide some benefit to sports performance
7
or aid
recovery from exercise.
8
Currently, several companies have
garments for sale, with little performance-based evidence
available to support their use or compare between brands for
superior ergogenic benefits. In particular, there is currently no
research on the effect of compression garments in improving
exercise performance during high-intensity, intermittent activ-
ity such as that observed during repeat-sprint sports. Further,
as previous studies have reported the improvement of
performance in singular explosive movements such as a vertical
jump,
9
there is potential to transfer these benefits to improve
explosive actions involved in cricket, including sprinting and
throwing, as garments are often worn during games.
Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of
three different types of full-body compression garments (Skins,
Adidas and Under Armour) and a control condition (no
compression garment) on performance in intermittent,
repeat-sprint and throwing performance in cricket players.
METHODS
Participants
A total of 10 physically fit, male, club-level cricket players with
mean (SD) age 22.1 (1.1) years, height 185.2 (6.5) cm and body
mass 84.65 (5.90) kg were recruited for this study. All
participants gave verbal and written consent to engage in all
testing procedures, and ethical approval was granted by the
institutional ethics committee.
Overview
Participants performed five testing sessions at the same time of
the day, separated by 72–96 h, and were required to abstain
from ingestion of alcohol, caffeine and food substances 3 h
before testing. All testing was conducted on an open (sheltered)
50 m synthetic track in a partially enclosed, biomechanics
laboratory under cool environmental conditions (15 (3)
˚
C).
Initial testing sessions familiarised participants with all
measures and procedures involved in the testing protocol,
while the remaining four sessions were identical, with the
exception of the compression garments. The four sessions were
Abbreviations: AT, accuracy throwing; CK, creatine kinase; DT, distance
throwing; ES, effect size; HR, heart rate; HSD, honest significant difference;
[La
2
], blood lactate; MS
A
, muscle soreness for arm; MS
L
, muscle soreness
for leg; pO
2
, partial pressure of oxygen; RPE, rating of perceived exertion;
sO
2
, oxygen saturation of haemoglobin; T
sk
, mean skin temperature; UA,
Under Armour; VO–
2max
, maximum amount of of oxygen in millilitres, one
can use in 1 minute per kilogram of body weight
409
www.bjsportmed.com

randomised and included either no compression garment
(control), a full-body Skins garment (Skins, Sydney, New
South Wales, Australia), a full-body Under Armour (UA)
garment (Under Armour, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) or a
full-body Adidas garment (Adidas, Herzogenaurach, Germany).
All compression garments were worn throughout the duration
of the testing session (excluding nude mass measurement) and
during the 24 h after exercise, during which participants
abstained from exercise. Compression garments were fitted to
participants on the basis of the respective company guidelines
involving measures of height, weight and girth circumferences.
Exercise protocol
Following pre-exercise measures, participants performed a
3 min warm-up on a cycle ergometer (818E, Monark,
Vansbro, Sweden) at 70 W, followed by 3640 m runs of
increasing speed, stretching of the upper and lower body, and
a 5 min graduated throwing routine (progressive increase in
throw distance and velocity). Following the warm-up, partici-
pants performed a maximal distance throwing (DT) test of five
maximal cricket ball throws, each separated by 20 s recovery.
Participants then performed an accuracy throwing (AT) test
consisting of 2610, 2620 and 2630 m throws at a custom-
designed target (Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra,
Australia), with an emphasis on accuracy and speed. The target
consisted of a large vinyl screen with a central diagram of full-
sized wickets, surrounded by zones allocated with a numerical
score (the score decreases further from the wickets).
Performance on the AT test was measured by both speed to
complete all six throws and a total score based on the accuracy
of each throw.
Following the AT test, participants performed a 30 min
intermittent, repeat-sprint exercise protocol consisting of a
20 m sprint every minute, separated by 45 s of submaximal
exercise. The submaximal (recovery) exercise between sprints
consisted of performing shuttle runs over 20 m for the
remainder of the minute (until 10 s to go—approximately
45 s) before moving to the start line to complete the next sprint
(start of next minute). The shuttle runs were classified as
‘‘hard’’, requiring participants to cover as much distance as
possible in the allocated time; ‘‘moderate’’, which involved
participants jogging at a self-selected pace; and ‘‘easy’’, which
consisted of walking. Submaximal exercise modes were rotated
following each sprint, with one recovery mode performed
during the remainder of the minute, with 10 efforts made for
each respective submaximal run. Performance was determined
from 10 m and 20 m sprint time (speed light infra-red timing
system, Swift, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia), % decline
in sprint time ((total time/(fastest time ? sprint n)?100)) and
distance covered during the submaximal exercise bouts (SP10
GPS, GPSports, Canberra, Australia). At 10, 20 and 30 min of
the exercise protocol, participants performed the AT test, and,
following the final AT test, they completed a repeat of the
maximal DT test.
Measures
Before and after each testing session, nude mass was measured
on a set of calibrated scales (HW 100K, A & D, Tokyo, Japan) to
estimate changes in body mass due to sweat loss. Heart rate
was measured (F1, Polar Electo Oy, Kempele, Finland) before
exercise and every 5 min throughout the exercise protocol. Skin
temperature was measured at three sites, including the
sternum, forearm and calf (Monotherm 4070, Mallinkrodt, St
Louis, Missouri, USA), before exercise, and every 10 min during
and after exercise, to calculate the mean skin temperature (T
sk
)
using the equation of Burton
10
as previously used by Adams et
al.
11
Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was obtained before
exercise, at 10 min intervals during and after exercise, whereas
the rating of perceived muscle soreness was obtained before
and after exercise and 24 h after exercise for arm (MS
A
) and leg
(MS
L
) muscles, respectively. Before and after exercise, 100 mlof
capillary blood was sampled from a finger of the non-throwing
arm for analysis of [La
2
], pH, oxygen saturation of haemoglo-
bin (sO
2
) and partial pressure of oxygen (pO
2
) (ABL825
Table 1 Mean (SD) 10 m time, total 10 m sprint time, % decline in 10 m sprint time, 20 m
sprint time, total 20 m sprint time, % decline in 20 m sprint time and total distance covered for
Skins, Adidas, Under Armour and control conditions
Skins Adidas UA Control
10 m (s) 2.00 (0.09) 1.99 (0.08) 1.99 (0.09) 2.01 (0.06)
10 m total (s) 54.06 (2.53) 53.99 (2.12) 53.84 (2.61) 54.38 (1.72)
10 m decline (%) 6.4 (2.3) 5.5 (2.7) 6.0 (1.9) 5.9 (2.4)
20 m (s) 3.42 (0.16) 3.42 (0.14) 3.40 (0.15) 3.48 (0.08)
20 m total (s) 92.35 (4.27) 92.47 (3.80) 92.06 (4.13) 93.98 (2.05)
20 m decline (%) 5.4 (2.9) 5.2 (2.0) 5.9 (2.0) 6.0 (2.3)
Total distance (m) 3488.4 (197.4) 3484.4 (176.4) 3517.8 (367.3) 3370.7 (239.8)
UA, Under Armour.
Table 2 Mean (SD) premaximal and postmaximal distance throw (DT), pretotal and post-total
distance thrown (total of five throws), % decline within pre-DT and post-DT, and overall decline
in DT from pretest to post-test for Skins, Adidas, Under Armour and control conditions
Skins Adidas UA Control
DT pre (m) 63.2 (11.7) 61.7 (11.7) 62.5 (9.9) 62.2 (8.2)
DT pretotal (m) 316.2 (58.7) 308.7 (58.3 312.6 (49.6) 311.3 (41.0)
DT predecline (%) 4.3 (2.6) 6.3 (3.5) 4.9 (2.0) 5.4 (0.9)
DT post (m) 59.6 (12.0) 60.6 (10.7) 58.7 (9.4) 59.2 (9.6)
DT posttotal (m) 297.9 (60.1) 303.1 (53.9) 293.8 (46.9) 296.3 (50.4)
DT postdecline (%) 5.0 (2.4) 7.8 (3.4) 7.4 (3.9) 6.0 (2.7)
Total decline (%) 6.2 (2.4) 3.9 (2.2)* 6.4 (2.8) 5.1 (2.9)
DT, distance throw; UA, Under Armour.
*Large effect size (d.0.8).
410 Duffield, Portus
www.bjsportmed.com

Radiometer, Copenhagen, Denmark). Finally, participants wore
the garments for 24 h after exercise, at which point a 60 ml
sample of capillary blood was collected to measure CK as a
marker of muscle damage. Blood samples were centrifuged to
separate blood serum and analysed for CK (Dimension Xpand
spectrophotometer, Dade Bearing, Newark, Delaware, USA).
Statistical analyses
A repeated-measures (condition 6 time) analysis of variance
was used to determine significant differences between the
respective conditions (Skins, Adidas, UA and control). Post hoc
Tukey’s honest significant difference (HSD) tests were used to
determine individual significant differences. Significance was
set a priori at p = 0.05. Effect sizes (ESs) (Cohen’s d) were
calculated to analyse potential trends in the data comparing
respective compression garments with the control condition. An
ES of ,0.2 was classified as ‘‘trivial’’, 0.2–0.4 as ‘‘small’’, 0.4–
0.7 as ‘‘moderate’’ and .0.8 as ‘‘large’’ effect.
RESULTS
Table 1 presents the exercise performance measures as mean
(SD) 10 and 20 m sprint times, total 10 and 20 m sprint time,
and % decline in 10 and 20 m sprint times. The total distance
covered during the recovery bouts is also shown. Analysis
indicated no significant differences (p.0.05) and small ES
between conditions (Skins, Adidas, UA or control) for mean
and total 10 m or 20 m sprint time or % decline in 10 m or
20 m sprint time and total submaximal distance covered.
Distance in throw test performance is reported in table 2 as
mean (SD) pre-exercise and postexercise maximum throw,
total distance for all throws (pre-exercise and postexercise), %
decline in respective tests and total % decline from pre-exercise
to post-exercise for all conditions. Analysis indicated no
significant differences (p.0.05) and small ES between all
conditions for all maximal throwing performance measures,
apart from a moderate-to-large ES for the total % decline for
the Adidas condition.
Figure 1 outlines AT test results for all conditions, including
the mean scores for individual throws, total score and time to
complete all throws for the pre-, 10 min, 20 min and 30 min AT
test. Analysis indicated no significant differences (p.0.05) for
the accuracy score of individual throws, total accuracy score or
time to complete AT test between conditions. ES analysis
indicated a moderate effect of improved throw accuracy
performance in the UA condition at 10 and 20 min.
Table 3 presents the results for mean (SD) heart rate,
predifference to postdifference in body mass, T
sk
, postexercise
RPE, average RPE, postexercise and 24 h postexercise rating of
MS
A
and MS
L
, respectively. Analysis indicated no significant
differences (p.0.05) and small ES between conditions for
mean heart rate (fig 2), difference in mass or RPE measures. A
significantly lower T
sk
(p,0.05 and large ES) was observed in
the control condition compared with the respective compres-
sion garment conditions (fig 3). A significantly higher rating of
MS
A
and MS
L
24 h after exercise (p,0.05 and large ES) was
reported in the control condition compared with the three
garment conditions, with no significant difference between the
garment conditions. All pre-exercise ratings of MS had returned
to 0 for all conditions.
Figure 1 (A) Mean individual throw score, (B) total score and (C) time to
complete all throws for the accuracy throw test (2610 m, 2620 m and
2630 m) for all conditions. UA, Under Armour.
Figure 2 Mean heart rate response throughout the exercise protocol for
Skins, Adidas, Under Armour (UA) and control conditions.
Figure 3 Mean skin temperature throughout the exercise protocol for
Skins, Adidas, Under Armour (UA) and control conditions in a cool
environment. *Compression garment conditions significantly different from
control condition (p,0.05).
Compression garments and repeat-sprint performance 411
www.bjsportmed.com

Table 4 presents the mean (SD) pre-exercise and postexercise
capillary blood measures of [La
2
], pH, sO
2
,pO
2
and CK.
Analysis indicated no significant difference (p.0.05) and trivial
ES between any condition for [La
2
], pH, sO
2
and pO
2
. Analysis
of CK data indicated significantly lower (p,0.05) CK values
24 h after exercise in the Skins and UA conditions when
compared with the control condition. Large ES data were
observed for all three compression garment conditions when
compared with the control condition, indicating that CK values
were lower 24 h after exercise.
DISCUSSION
The aim of this study was to compare three varieties of
compression garment (Skins, Adidas and UA) to determine
whether repeat-sprint and throwing performance were
improved. Results indicated neither throwing nor repeat-sprint
performance was improved by any garment, and minimal
differences were evident between garments. Significant phy-
siological differences between control and compression gar-
ment conditions included higher T
sk
during exercise and
reduced CK values 24 h after exercise in the compression
garment conditions. Also, a significant difference was observed
between compression garments and control conditions for the
rating of MS
A
and MS
L
24 h after exercise.
Exercise performance
No significant differences in 10 or 20 m sprint times, decline in
sprint performance or submaximal distances covered because of
or between garments were evident. Although currently there is
no published research on the effects of compression garments
on repeat-sprint performance, previous research has reported
improved vertical jump heights without improvements in 20 or
60 m sprint time
912
and increased force production in repeated
vertical jump efforts
13
while wearing compression garments.
Improvements in maximal aerobic performance with compres-
sion garments have been reported in repeated 5 min maximal
cycle efforts separated by an 80 min recovery.
6
Recent research
14
on fatigue recovery reported that compression garments did not
increase fatigability during ankle dorsiflexion and did not
improve force recovery between repeated fatiguing static
efforts. In contrast, Kraemer et al
15
reported a faster recovery
of force production in single-arm bicep curls following heavy
eccentric exercise when wearing compression garments.
Whereas previous data have reported a variety of performance
outcomes, few studies have investigated sports-specific perfor-
mance benefits from compression garments, and no studies
have reported improvements in repeat-sprint exercise. As such,
the results of the present data show that compression garments
did not improve repeat-sprint activity, reduce the decline in
sprint performance or increase the distance covered, and may
have limited ergogenic properties for repeat-sprint perfor-
mance.
Throwing performance
Currently, there is no evidence of the influence of compression
garments on throwing performance in literature. Although the
garments have been shown to increase vertical jump,
913
there
was no improvement in maximal throw distance or total
distance, and only a small amelioration of the decline in
maximal throw distance was observed solely in the Adidas
garment condition. Further, apart from the Adidas % decline
shown in the ES data, only small ESs were noted between the
Table 3 Mean (SD) heart rate, difference in body mass, mean skin temperature, rating of
perceived exertion (RPE) at 30 min, average exercise RPE, rating of muscle soreness for legs
and arms post-testing and 24 h postexercise
Skins Adidas UA Control
HR (bpm) 171 (9) 172 (11) 172 (8) 175 (10)
Mass difference (kg) 0.76 (0.13) 0.71 (0.13) 0.71 (0.13) 0.75 (0.19)
T
sk
( ˚C) 30.2 (0.6)* 29.9 (0.8)* 30.7 (0.9)* 28.5 (0.8)
RPE postexercise 7.2 (1.2) 7.1 (1.2) 7.2 (0.8) 7.0 (1.3)
RPE average 5.8 (1.2) 5.6 (1.2) 5.6 (0.8) 5.6 (1.5)
MS
L
postexercise 3.4 (1.1) 3.2 (1.4) 3.1 (0.9) 3.9 (1.1)
MS
L
24 h postexercise 1.8 (0.8)* 1.7 (1.6)* 1.5 (1.2)* 3.0 (1.2)
MS
A
postexercise 3.8 (1.1) 3.4 (1.5) 3.4 (1.2) 4.4 (0.9)
MS
A
24 h postexercise 2.4¡0.5* 2.5 (1.3)* 1.7 (1.1)* 3.4 (1.1)
bpm, beats per minute; HR, heart rate; MS
A
, muscle soreness for arms; MS
L
, muscle soreness for legs; RPE, rating of
perceived exertion; T
sk
, mean skin temperature; UA, Under Armour.
*Significantly different from control (p,0.05).
Table 4 Mean (SD) pre-exercise and postexercise measures of blood lactate concentration, pH, oxygen saturation of haemoglobin
partial pressure of oxygen and pre-exercise and 24 h postexercise and % change in creatine kinase
Skins Adidas UA Control
[La
2
]
b
pre-exercise 1.4 (0.4) 1.7 (0.5) 1.3 (0.5) 1.4 (0.5)
[La
2
]
b
postexercise 8.1 (2.2) 7.9 (1.7) 8.7 (3.3) 9.0 (2.4)
pH pre-exercise 7.424 (0.119) 7.416 (0.159) 7.408 (0.109) 7.414 (0.156)
pH postexercise 7.364 (0.031) 7.355 (0.045) 7.352 (0.476) 7.349 (0.051)
sO
2
pre-exercise 96.0 (0.8) 95.9 (1.3) 95.7 (0.87) 95.9 (1.2)
sO
2
postexercise 96.1 (1.2) 96.1 (0.8) 95.9 (0.8) 96.3 (1.3)
pO
2
pre-exercise 73.5 (5.5) 74.9 (6.5) 73.1 (5.9) 73.8 (5.9)
pO
2
postexercise 81.3 (7.5) 82.1 (4.8) 80.8 (5.6) 82.6 (4.7)
CK pre-exercise 450 (189) 493 (182) 422 (125) 518 (145)
CK 24 h postexercise 1014 (178)* 1105 (192) 1031 (129)* 1266 (120)
CK % change 225 (71) 224 (75) 220 (70) 245 (68)
CK, creatine kinase; [La
2
]
b
, blood lactate; pO
2
, partial pressure of oxygen; sO
2
, oxygen saturation of haemoglobin; UA, Under Armour.
*Significantly different from control (p,0.05).
Large effect size compared with control (d.0.8).
412 Duffield, Portus
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conditions for singular or repeated throwing ability. Although
Doan et al
9
have reported that increased flexion and extension
torque may result in a greater power output of the specific
muscular action, no differences in distance thrown were
evident in this study. Further, no significant improvements
were noted for throwing accuracy or time to complete throwing
activities during the testing protocol. Moderate ESs were
evident to indicate an improved throw accuracy performance
in the UA condition at 10 and 20 min; however, any
mechanisms to explain this difference, such as proprioreceptive
feedback or increased flexion-extension torque,
9
would be
speculative.
Physiological variables
No significant difference in the heart rate response during the
exercise protocol was evident in the current study. Berry et al
16
have also reported no effect of compression garments on heart
rate during an exhaustive run at 110% VO
2max
. Several studies
have reported the benefits of compression garments in reducing
venous oedema,
17
vascular pooling
5
and enhancing overall
circulation.
7
However, Kahn et al
18
have reported no changes
in leg volume in patients with deep vein thrombosis following
exercise in compression stockings, whereas Chatard et al
6
reported small, non-significant increases in plasma volume
from wearing compression garments during maximal 5 min
efforts. In the current study, as heart rate did not differ, and as
it is assumed cardiac output was unchanged between condi-
tions, it is unlikely that any differences in venous return or
stroke volume were evident between conditions.
Compression garments did not significantly alter the pre to
post loss of body mass, indicating that sweat volume was
similar between conditions. Similar sweat rates between the
conditions (in cool to moderate environmental conditions)
imply that no impedance to the sweating mechanism was
evident during exercise. Whether the garments may have
affected the efficient removal of body heat is unknown, as core
temperature was not measured. However, in these mild
environments, the effectiveness of conduction and convection
is improved; hence any reduction in evaporative mechanisms is
of less importance. T
sk
was significantly lower in the control
condition, indicating a warmer skin temperature using all
garments (with no significant differences between garments).
A higher T
sk
without an increase in body mass loss in the
compression garment conditions implies that effective thermo-
regulatory function was maintained over the 30 min exercise
protocol. Doan et al
9
have also reported a faster and greater rise
in skin temperature under compression garments during a
warm-up. As the current testing was conducted in cool
environmental conditions, a higher T
sk
would not unduly affect
physiological functioning; however, exercise for longer dura-
tions and in warmer conditions may impose greater physiolo-
gical strain and affect physiological functioning and/or
performance.
Although several studies have reported reductions in [La
2
]
following exercise in compression garments,
619
in the current
study no significant differences were observed between condi-
tions for [La
2
]. Berry and McMurray
19
observed reduced [La
2
]
during the recovery from a treadmill VO
2max
(maximum
amount of oxygen in milliliters, one can use in one minute
per kilogram of body weight) test, also supported by Chatard et
al
6
following 5 min maximal efforts and an 80 min recovery.
Conversely, Berry et al
16
reported no significant effect of the
garments in reducing [La
2
] following a run to exhaustion at
110% VO
2max
. Both studies reporting changes in [La
2
] have
also reported small plasma volume shifts, which may account
for the observed reductions in [La
2
]. There were also no
significant differences and small ESs for pH, sO
2
and pO
2
.
Trennell et al
20
have reported no difference in muscle pH
between control- and compression garment-covered limbs
using
31
p-MNR spectroscopy during eccentric downhill tread-
mill walking, while Agu et al
5
reported an increase in limb
oxygenation in patients with venous insufficiency through near
infrared spectroscopy. Although compression garments may
increase blood volume, and therefore sO
2
, in diseased patients,
they did not increase haemoglobin saturation in healthy males.
It seems unlikely that compression garments increase sO
2
during maximal exercise, as evidenced by Berry et al,
16
who
reported no increase in VO
2max
during maximal exercise while
wearing compression garments.
A significantly reduced absolute CK value was observed in
the Skins and UA conditions, and large ESs for all garments
when compared with the control condition. Gill et al
8
and
Kraemer et al
15
have both reported lower CK values when using
compression garments as opposed to normal clothing following
high-intensity exercise. Both studies have proposed that the
compression process acts to reduce swelling and limit the
inflammatory response to acute muscle damage. As such, the
act of applying compression via the garments in the 24 h
following exercise may limit any swelling mechanisms resul-
tant from microtrauma to the muscle. However, while exercise
was avoided during the 24 h after testing, fluid and nutritional
intakes were not controlled; yet the results of the % change in
CK showed no significant differences and small to moderate ES
between conditions. These limitations to the data preclude any
conclusive statements on the potential recovery benefits of
wearing compression garments after exercise.
Perception of effort and muscle soreness
Although differences between conditions on most physiological
measures were trivial, performance improvements may have
resulted from changes in the perception of fatigue. In the
present study, compression garments did not significantly
reduce the mean or final RPE, and no differences were
observed between the respective garments. However, signifi-
cantly reduced (improved) ratings of MS
A
and MS
L
were
reported by participants 24 h after exercise in compression
garments, which fits with the lower CK values observed for the
garments. These results indicate that the act of compression
may help to improve subjective feelings of recovery when worn
(including during sleep) after high-intensity exercise. Kraemer
et al
15
have also reported reductions in perceived muscle
soreness with compression garments following heavy eccentric
exercise. In contrast, Trennell et al
20
reported no difference in
What is already known on this topic
Compression garments have been used in the medical industry
for vascular patients, and their use has become popular with
athletes; however, limited research exists on the ergogenic
qualities for sports-specific exercise, with available research
showing mixed results for exercise involving repeated powerful
efforts.
What this study adds
This study indicates that compression garments did not improve
repeat-sprint or repeated throwing performance; however,
there may be benefits in their use as a thermal insulator in cool
conditions, and further as a recovery intervention tool after
high-intensity exercise.
Compression garments and repeat-sprint performance 413
www.bjsportmed.com

perceived muscle soreness with and without compression
garments during or after downhill treadmill walking. As such,
the use of compression garments may be of most benefit as a
recovery aid to be worn during the 24–48 h after exercise to
promote psychological recovery from high-intensity exercise,
regardless of potential physiological changes.
In conclusion, compression garments did not improve
throwing or repeat-sprint exercise performance in cricket
players, with no differences in heart rate, body mass difference,
blood measures of [La
2
], pH, sO
2
or pO
2
. Significant differences
were observed by way of higher T
sk
, lower 24 h postexercise CK
values and lower 24 h postexercise ratings of muscle soreness
in the compression garment conditions. In addition, there were
only small differences between the three brands of compression
garments. Overall, little performance benefit was noted when
using the compression garments; however, compression gar-
ments may be beneficial as a thermal insulator in cool
conditions or when long delays exist between exercise bouts.
Further, the use of the garments as a recovery tool, when worn
after intense exercise, may help reduce postexercise swelling
and reduce perceived muscle soreness and promote greater
psychological comfort.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors thank Cricket Australia for organising and funding this
project and the respective companies, Skins, Adidas and Under Armour,
for the generous supply of their products.
Authors’ affiliations
.......................
Rob Duffield, School of Human Movement, Charles Stuart University,
Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
Marc Portus, Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence, Cricket Australia,
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Competing interests: None declared.
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...............
COMMENTARY
...............
This article shows that although compression garments have
become popular within the sporting fraternity, the benefits may
be more psychological, rather than physiological, and more
research is required.
Johann Edge
Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand;
j.a.edge@massey.ac.nz
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