What happens if I wear recovery shoes for hours? – Triathlete

There’s a man—let’s call him John Doe—whose recent obsession with training has his wife deeply concerned. We all know a guy like John: an avid athlete in his fifties, who trains religiously, skips many rest days, and believes his hot tub is the perfect recovery tool.

Recently, John bought Compression shoes from Costco After reading a glowing review on… Triathlete. He’d previously tried luxury models from several leading brands and loved the way they compressed and soothed his sore muscles after a tough ride or run, but he’d always balked at the $800 (and up) price tag. And thanks to Costco, he can now enjoy the essential benefits of intermittent pneumatic compression (or IPC, the technical term) for just $130.

A few weeks later, Jane, the proverbial, long-suffering triathlon wife, becomes concerned that he is spending too much time in his Costco shoes. At first, John only used it for the recommended 20-30 minutes after exercise. But the massage was so good that soon he was wearing it while working, watching race replays, and sitting on his couch to meticulously analyze his natural strength graphs.

The turning point came when Jane discovered that her husband was regularly indulging in more than two hours of stress while she was in the office. Obviously there is dependency formation, but more worrying is the potential for physical harm. Because she loves her lower extremities, she asked the question that this article intends to answer: Could the average athlete hurt themselves by wearing shoes that compress too much?

What you need to know about compression shoes

It was originally developed As medical devices for patients with poor circulation or insufficient lymphatic drainage, compression boots are inflatable sleeves that fit over the legs and are connected to a small air compressor. Models marketed to the general public typically feature multiple chambers that inflate gradually and/or sequentially from the feet to the thighs, with adjustable pressure levels. Luxury models, such as Hyperice’s Normatec Elite legs and TherabodyJet Pro PlusIt may add heating or cooling elements as well as customizable settings.

IPC’s brands and ambassadors promote a range of therapeutic and performance benefits resulting from the increased blood flow resulting from the massage process. Here’s how it works, in theory: You take a hit during a 15-mile workout, causing many micro-tears in your leg muscles. This is normal, and your body will immediately begin repairing the damage, ideally building muscle back stronger.

But the exercise and repair process leads to fluid buildup in your cells, causing discomfort and stiffness. So you put on the shoes and call in for 30 minutes at your preferred intensity. When you beat yourself up for running the first five miles in the Z4, the pressure pushes fluid from your cells into your bloodstream, where metabolic waste is carried away to be removed by your lymph nodes.

According to the claims of manufacturers of compression shoes, this process is reduced Swelling after exercisespeeding up the healing process and reducing DOMS (The delayed-onset muscle soreness you know as, “Oh my god, walking down the stairs hurts so much after two days.”)

If these claims are to be believed, the use of compression shoes will reduce downtime, improve performance during subsequent workouts, and reduce the risk of injury. Voila! Less pain and a faster path to consolidating those hard-earned gains!

Do compression shoes really work?

To date, there is no clear scientific consensus that the above benefits are real. A bunch of studies Evaluate the impact of IPCs on restoration And the performance has yielded Mixed results.

Hyperice, manufacturer of the popular Normatec line of compression products, sums “Although the evidence supporting compression shoes is strong in some areas, it is not unanimous. Many studies highlight positive short-term outcomes, especially Reduced soreness and Perception of fatigue. Athletes often feel more “ready” to train again, which is valuable in itself. However, the long-term impact on objective performance outcomes such as running speed, strength, or endurance remains less clear.

Dr. Jeffrey Sankoff, Triathlete Contributor and vote Tradedock Podcast A long time coach He reviewed the literature in his presentation and Reports Often aware of recovery. He echoes this ambiguity, saying: Triathlete: “There’s no evidence that compression shoes do anything in terms of recovery and performance. But they do make you feel better, and there’s a real advantage to that. They also make you sit still, which is helpful, because we’re really bad at just resting.”

As a coach, Sankoff encourages athletes to participate in it Active recoverybut he also appreciates the convenience that this type of passive recovery provides. He says that if you can afford shoes, it’s better to wear them while multitasking than doing nothing at all.

When compression shoes hurt more than they heal

When Jane was asked how much of a compression shoe was too much compression shoe, Sankoff shook his head, both amused and a little horrified by John’s passion for compression. But he offers immediate reassurance that John is unlikely to hurt himself.

“The force generated by these shoes is generally insufficient to cause significant tissue breakdown,” Sankoff says. “We know that intense, sustained pressure can cause rhabdomyolysis, or muscle breakdown, but two to three hours is probably too short, especially in shoes that are constantly being filled and released.”

Moreover, it indicates that the body sends acute distress signals if real damage occurs, i.e. severe pain or numbness. While mild discomfort is normal during massage or pressure, actual pain is a clear warning to back off immediately. Numbness is more worrying, and is a sign of bigger problems: “It means there is swelling in the muscles which is damaging the nerves.”

Sankoff’s insights are consistent with the IPC usage guidelines that are widely shared by manufacturers and clinicians, and are very simple:

• Start with 20-30 minutes at the lowest compression setting, then increase the duration and intensity as you become comfortable with the shoes.
• For best results, select a sequence that starts at the feet and moves toward the hips. (And don’t forget to moisturize.)
• Consult your doctor before using boots or sleeves if you have blood vessel problems, heart problems, neuropathy, open sores or skin conditions, or have a baby in the tummy.
• Avoid use if you have recently suffered a severe fracture or sprain.
• Stop immediately if you feel numbness, pain, or skin irritation.

All of this suggests that John Doe, a healthy triathlete, can keep pushing to his heart’s content. At some point, he may need to explore recovery programs to address his recovery habit, but for now, the only obvious downside to this strange addiction may be marital discord. Especially if you (I mean, he) He starts wearing it to sleep.