Are Compression Socks Effective?
New research tests socks on female soccer players.
A study involving amateur female soccer players found that those who wore compression socks during a match experienced less game-induced fatigue than teammates who wore regular socks. Investigators evaluated fatigue by testing agility, standing heel-rise and other factors immediately after the match.
“The benefits were clearly higher with the compression stockings than with regular socks,” said study author Anthony Leicht, associate professor at James Cook University in Australia. “[Our findings] confirmed that there is a protective effect with compression stockings that may be crucial for performance in soccer matches.”
Find the study in Research in Sports Medicine (2018; doi:10.1080/15438627.2018.1527335).
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
