Do athletic compression socks make a runner run faster?
Athletes have always been advised to wear specialized gear such as athletic compression socks. This is so because athletes face strenuous sports activity during training and competition that muscles are most likely to be damaged due to overstretching. Though they may give several health benefits to the athlete, are they likely to also fasten the pace of athletes, especially runners?
Athletic compression socks are used mostly by athletes, but also by those who have vein problems. How do these work on your legs? In a perfect world, blood goes down to the legs and are transported back to the heart. However, because of gravity, blood is not circulated properly and most of it is pooled down. When this happens, it can cause several circulatory problems. It is the job of compression socks to squeeze those pooled blood up so they can be transported back to the heart.
But do compression socks for runners really improve their performance? In order to answer this, a test was conducted among 21 runners. They were divided into two groups: one with the compression socks and the other wearing ordinary socks. The result clearly showed that the performance improvement of those wearing compression socks depends on what type of compression sock they wore.
Though not directly stated on the test’s result, compression socks for runners may speed up running performance. This could be because they allow the proper circulation of the blood in the legs. With this, runners feel more comfortable when running. However, the brand of the compression socks used could also be a factor in speeding up the runner’s performance. Those compressions socks which offer the greatest compression on the ankle and calf area of the leg would bring out probably the best performance out of an athlete, including a runner. Again, this could be because of the squeezing of the sock to help transport the blood back and preventing vein problems. Also, because this squeezes blood up to the heart, this also speeds up the blood circulation.
Though not proven directly, it seems that athletic compression socks do help in speeding up a runner on his run. Because they help improve blood circulation in the legs, the discomfort caused by circulation and vein problems are nearly eliminated, thus making them feel more comfortable during their running. If runners want to improve their running performance, they should definitely try athletic compression socks.