Abstract
Over the course of a competitive season competitive runners will undergo heavy periods of training in an attempt to maximize performance. During such periods, recovery between training sessions is crucial to the success of the athlete. Recently the use of lower body compression garments has been touted as a means to optimize recovery. PURPOSE: To determine if wearing lower body compression garments following daily workouts would result in additional performance improvements in collegiate distance runners. METHODS: 15 male collegiate distance runners were separated into a sock group (S; n=7; 21±2 yrs, 176±9 cm, 69±9 kg) or a control group (C; n=8; 21±2, 183±7, 70±5 kg). S subjects were required to wear graduated compression socks ≥4 hrs immediately following daily workouts or races (∼6d/wk) for a period of 4 wks during the outdoor track season. To assess performance, racing times for each runner's preferred distance (1500 m to 10,000 m) were adjusted for altitude and converted to a standard metric using IAAF scoring tables. Runners also completed a weekly recovery questionnaire (RESTQ-52) to assess sport specific stress and recovery. 7 subjects (SG, n=3; CG n=4) were unable to complete the study due to illness or injury. Comparisons were made using an independent t-test. RESULTS: Weekly training distance for S and C was 66±38 and 79±32 km/wk, respectively. On average, subjects in S wore compression socks 31±11 hrs/wk. Weekly RESTQ-52 sport specific stress and recovery scores were similar in both groups throughout the training period. Running scores over the course of the study improved to a similar degree within S (8%; 810±109 to 875±135) and C (9%; 773±136 to 840±148), respectively (P≤0.05); however, there were no differences in running score improvements between the groups. CONCLUSION: Performance improvements and perceived stress were similar in both groups following 4 wks of intense run training, suggesting that consistent compression sock usage following workouts did not provide any additional recovery or performance benefits in collegiate distance runners.
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