What Are Compression Sleeves and How Do They Work?

Have you heard of compression sleeves? They are commonly used to assist in the recovery of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Maybe you're suffering from a pulled muscle, or perhaps you're experiencing inflammation in your wrist. Regardless, you may want to wear a compression sleeve. Compression sleeves offer a simple and effective way to reduce MSD recovery times.

Overview of Compression Sleeves

Compression sleeves are wearable, sleeve-like pieces of equipment that are designed to compress the body part with which they are used. Some of them are, in fact, sleeves. You can slide them over your arm to compress either your bicep or forearm area. Other compression sleeves are designed for other parts of the body, such as the legs or hands.

How Compression Sleeves Work

As their name suggests, compression sleeves are designed to compress the body part with which they are used. They are available in varying degrees of compression. Some compression sleeves, for instance, apply greater compressive forces to the body than others. Regardless, they are all designed to compress the body part with which they are used.

How do compression sleeves work exactly? Well, they are made of an elastic material. You won't find compression sleeves in rigid materials like cotton or wool. Rather, they are made of an elastic material that's able to stretch. With their elastic construction, compression sleeves will squeeze the body part with which they are used. 

If you slide a compression sleeve over your arm, it will squeeze your arm. If you slide a compression sleeve over your leg, it will squeeze your leg. This squeezing action is a compressive force. Some compression sleeves are adjustable as well, but most of them work by leveraging an elastic construction that squeezes the body part with which they are used.

Benefits of Wearing Compression Sleeves

Wearing compression sleeves may reduce recovery times associated with MSDs. They'll apply a compressive force to the affected tissue, which in turn stimulates blood flow to that area of the body. As more blood reaches the injured tissue, you may recover from the MSD more quickly. 

Another benefit of wearing compression sleeves is muscle stabilization. You can stabilize your muscles by wearing a compression sleeve. Compression sleeves will prevent your muscles from shifting unnaturally when exercising. As a result, they may protect you from muscle-related injuries. These are just a few benefits of wearing compression sleeves.