PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jessica Hill
AU  - Glyn Howatson
AU  - Ken van Someren
AU  - Jonathan Leeder
AU  - Charles Pedlar
TI  - Compression garments and recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage: a meta-analysis
AID  - 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092456
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - British Journal of Sports Medicine
PG  - 1340--1346
VI  - 48
IP  - 18
4099  - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/18/1340.short
4100  - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/18/1340.full
SO  - Br J Sports Med2014 Sep 01; 48
AB  - The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of compression garments on recovery following damaging exercise. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using studies that evaluated the efficacy of compression garments on measures of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), muscular strength, muscular power and creatine kinase (CK). Studies were extracted from a literature search of online databases. Data were extracted from 12 studies, where variables were measured at baseline and at 24 or 48 or 72 h postexercise. Analysis of pooled data indicated that the use of compression garments had a moderate effect in reducing the severity of DOMS (Hedges’ g=0.403, 95% CI 0.236 to 0.569, p<0.001), muscle strength (Hedges’ g=0.462, 95% CI 0.221 to 0.703, p<0.001), muscle power (Hedges’ g=0.487, 95% CI 0.267 to 0.707, p<0.001) and CK (Hedges’ g=0.439, 95% CI 0.171 to 0.706, p<0.001). These results indicate that compression garments are effective in enhancing recovery from muscle damage.