Compression-induced improvements in post-exercise recovery are associated with enhanced blood flow, and are not due to the placebo effect

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological effects of compression tights on blood flow following exercise and to assess if the placebo effect is responsible for any acute performance or psychological benefits. Twenty-two resistance-trained participants completed a lower-body resistance exercise session followed by a 4 h recovery period. Participants were assigned a post-exercise recovery intervention of either compression tights applied for 4 h (COMP), placebo tablet consumed every hour for 4 h (PLA) or control (CON). Physiological (markers of venous return, muscle blood flow, blood metabolites, thigh girth), performance (countermovement jump, isometric mid-thigh pull), and psychological measures (perceived muscle soreness, total quality of recovery) were collected pre-exercise, immediately post-exercise, at 30 (markers of venous return and muscle blood flow) and 60 min (blood metabolites, thigh girth and psychological measures) intervals during 4 h of recovery, and at 4 h, 24 h and 48 h post-exercise. No significant (P > 0.05) differences were observed between interventions. However, effect size analysis revealed COMP enhanced markers of venous return, muscle blood flow, recovery of performance measures, psychological measures and reduced thigh girth compared to PLA and CON. There were no group differences in blood metabolites. These findings suggest compression tights worn after resistance exercise enhance blood flow and indices of exercise recovery, and that these benefits were not due to a placebo effect.