From support during workouts to aiding the recovery of muscle pains, the knee compression sleeve benefits are limitless.
A knee sleeve is a device that offers knee support using compression technology. It is best used for the prevention of injuries or management of an injury that may get worse.
Unlike a knee brace, a total knee compression sleeve does not offer strong ligament support. It does, however, increase blood flow to a particular area.
DO KNEE COMPRESSION SLEEVES WORK FOR ARTHRITIS?
Yes, they do. One of the knee sleeve compression benefits is the relief it confers to people with arthritis.
First, it helps to reduce muscle stiffness by increasing blood flow and warmth around your knees.
If you experience recurrent joint pains or soreness, a knee sleeve can help to mitigate that. You would have more support and less likelihood of experiencing arthritis complications.
The latter quality leads to pain reduction and minimization of swelling after workouts.
CAN I WEAR A KNEE SLEEVE ALL DAY?
You can wear a knee sleeve all day. To truly reap the benefits of the device, you may need to wear it for extended amounts of time.
It is best to have it on when you are moving about as it provides the necessary support and pressure during these circumstances.
However, it may not be advisable to wear it at night. At this time, there may not be sufficient blood flow to your knees.
Here are some knee compression sleeve benefits.
10 PROVEN KNEE COMPRESSION SLEEVE BENEFITS
1. CAN IMPROVE RUNNING PERFORMANCE
A lot of contradictory information is out there on the effect of knee sleeves during running. Some studies claim that it has no significant effects, while others claim that it does.
In this comprehensive literature review on the device’s application during running, it was found that there were no significant effects for marathoners.
On the other hand, the knee sleeve did improve time to exhaustion and running economy.
The above study also found that leg muscle improved to a small extent. This signifies that even though the device may not cause you to run faster, it will increase endurance and running economy.
2. CAN REDUCE MUSCLE PAIN
If you have been battling muscle pain after exercise, then the knee sleeve could be just what you need.
Runners often experience muscle damage during practice sessions or competitions. The same is true for athletes that engage in intensive exercise.
According to this study, you are less likely to feel soreness in your legs; experience inflammation or damage in your knees if you wear a compression sleeve.
If you have a hard time recovering from exercise because of pain, this device may be the perfect solution.
Patients with arthritis enjoy the same pain-relief benefits.
3. CAN STRENGTHEN YOUR JOINTS
Exercise is certainly the most effective way of strengthening your knee joints. However, if you have a health condition that limits your movements, you may need a little help.
The knee compression sleeve can contribute towards better blood flow around the knee. This means that your joints will keep working as they should.
4. GIVES YOU A DIVERSE RANGE OF MOTION
If you take part in activities that require expansive leg and knee movements, then a knee sleeve should be appropriate.
The device gives your body enough support for you to move as you need to. You may want to use it during pre and post-workout stretching as well.
5. HELP IN KNEE INJURY RECOVERY
An Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury is an injury that occurs when this ligament tears, swells, pops, or inflames.
This often happens when athletes jump, stop jerkily, rapidly change the direction of movement, or experience contact around the knee.
Many soccer players, skiers, and basketball players are susceptible to this injury. If you are diagnosed with ACL and have gone through reconstruction, you could recover from it through the use of knee compression sleeves.
This analysis showed that 36 patients who wore the knee sleeve after reconstruction had better balance, stance, and steadiness than those who did not wear it.
6. HELPS TO STABILIZE KNEE JOINTS IN ARTHRITIS PATIENTS
Patients with knee osteoarthritis are highly susceptible to joint instability. If you are one and wear a knee sleeve, you are less likely to have problems with stability.
In this research, patients with the above condition were given knee sleeves. Many had better motor control.
The result of this benefit is that you will have fewer chances of falling if you have knee osteoarthritis.
7. REDUCES JOINT STIFFNESS
Patients with arthritis tend to suffer from stiffness. This often occurs because of the loss of body heat and blood flow reduction in the concerned joint.
If you struggle to deal with stiffness in the knees, you may want to give the knee sleeve a chance. In this research, wearers reported a decrease in stiffness after just 4 weeks of use.
8. HELPS TO KEEP A SENSE OF BALANCE
In sports medicine, balance is often measured through proprioception (the ability to feel where the position of a joint is).
In this analysis, the researchers subjected participants to tests after giving them compression garments. They found that participants judged their joint position better.
9. IMPROVES EXERCISE RECOVERY
If you often exercise and need to do it in many continuous sets, fast recovery is crucial.
Sometimes problems with your knees can reduce your ability to recover and engage in the next set. In this study, a group of sprinters wore knee compressors and thus needed lesser time to do the next run.
10. HELPS TO LIFT HEAVYWEIGHTS
One of the knee compression sleeve benefits is support during weighted workouts.
If you have been lifting weights or lifting heavy masses in your work line, you could be susceptible to injury. When carrying heavy loads, we often place a lot of pressure on the knee caps.
Progressively carrying these heavy loads could cause tendonitis. This is a condition that compromises your knee tendons.
If you do plenty of weight lifting or resistance training, consider wearing a knee compression sleeve to prevent the latter condition.
Squats and other exercises that involve jerky motions may also cause similar damage.
Wearing a knee sleeve in these situations reduces the pressure on your knees and minimizes injury.
HOW TO CHOOSE KNEE SLEEVES
a) Material
Some knee sleeves are made of cloth, others neoprene, and others are wraps.
Cloth sleeves are best for you if you need warmth or slight compression; knee wraps are best employed for extreme compression, while neoprene is for mild compression and injury prevention.
b) Size
You want a knee sleeve that is snug but not too tight. For the compression to work, you must have a strong fit as loose knee sleeves will offer no support.
On the other hand, if your sleeves are too tight, they could pinch you, restrict blood flow, and cause discomfort. You want something just right.
c) Ease of Wearing
Some knee sleeves are quite difficult to wear or remove and may even tear. Go for the ones that would be easy to use.
d) Smell
Neoprene knee sleeves tend to stink after continuous use. You may want to wash them or buy more than one.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Athletes, runners, exercise enthusiasts, weight lifters, and arthritis patients are the people that enjoy knee compression sleeve benefits the most. Consider getting one if you belong to any of the above categories.
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