When Julia Sullivan reached out to me for an article at SHAPE on compression boots for recovery entitled “These Compression Therapy Boots Helped Me Recover from 300-Pound Deadlifts”, I was glad to provide some input. What follows is a brief synopsis of the article, with a link to the full article below.
Heather
“Compression therapy does just that – compresses an area of the body to reduce swelling and speed up muscle recovery,” Dr. Chad Walding explains. …Any athlete putting major stress on their lower limbs — say, ultramarathoners or triathletes — could benefit from using the compression boots for recovery. “Compression [therapy] can help add to their recovery routine and potentially improve performance,” he explains.
Sports recovery aside, however, Heather Jeffcoat, D.P.T., owner of Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy in Los Angeles, adds that compression boots for recovery, like the Therabody RecoveryAir, can also provide important medical help for certain patients. For example, in people with venous insufficiency (when the veins in your legs don’t allow for blood to flow properly back to the heart), patients will often require more manual lymphatic drainage, mechanical support with compression boots, or compression socks or hosiery, she explains.
“When your muscles contract against the compression stockings, it helps your venous system return circulation back to the heart,” says Jeffcoat.
She also notes that some of her pregnant patients enjoy wearing the boots to help drain excess fluids from the lower limbs (and prevent pregnancy feet). Walding also says that compression therapy can also help folks who are immobilized due to an injury or illness to get blood circulating again.
For the average moderate-intensity exerciser
Wersland notes that any type of waste-flushing can generally make you feel super good (as I found out quickly on my first two wears). “Daily physical activity — whatever that looks like for you — produces metabolic waste products in the muscles, which can increase muscle fatigue and soreness,” he explains. “Whether you’re a marathon-runner or a nurse on your feet all day, anyone could benefit from RecoveryAir.”
As for who shouldn’t use compression boots for recovery?
Jeffcoat says that anyone with a serious cardiac condition (such as acute pulmonary edema and acute pulmonary embolism) should steer clear entirely. And if you have serious wounds or tumors on your legs, sensory impairments, or any other health complication that affects your limbs and/or heart, talk to your doctor, she advises.
“Compression therapy does just that — compresses an area of the body to reduce swelling and speed up muscle recovery,” he explains. “When you put on compression boots for recovery or similar compression therapy [garments], the device helps the body to transport blood out of the limbs with equal and symmetrical pressure.” (This type of therapy can be found in compression socks, knee sleeves, bandages, and sports wraps.)” … says Jason Wersland, D.C., chiropractor and founder of Therabody.
Curious to know more about compression boots for recovery? Check out the full article at: MSN.com: These Compression Therapy Boots Helped Me Recover from 300-Pound Deadlifts.
