Proprioception refers to joint position sense or more simply an overall awareness of bodily position. The importance of propriocpetion can be appreciated in terms of injury. Proprioceptors in the skin, muscle and joints provide feedback to the central nervous system as to the position of a joint. If a joint (eg knee) is approaching a position that may place it at risk of injury (eg hyperextension and risk of ACL rupture) the proprioceptors can relay that information back to the central nervous system and adjustments in muscle activation can take place that may prevent that injury occurring.

Research has shown compression garments to positively influence proprioception. Kraemer and co-workers (11) reported increased hip joint proprioception when athletes wore compression garments. This enhanced proprioception may be a consequence of a greater feedback from skin proprioceptors as a consequence of the tactile interaction between the garments and the skin surface.

Although muscles are attached to the bone via tendons and are surrounded via connective tissue fascias and skin, a certain degree of lateral and vertical movement remains possible. During dynamic activities such as running and jumping oscillatory movement occurs in skeletal muscles as they are forced to accelerate, decelerate and absorb impact shocks.

In investigating muscle oscillation upon landing from a maximal vertical jump it was reported that compression garments were able to significantly reduce longitudinal and anterior-posterior muscle oscillation by 0.32 and 0.40cm respectively (7).

Reduced muscle oscillation and increased proprioception may have numerous potential benefits to athletes including:


Increased strength and power

Optimal muscle function involves a sequence of events beginning in the nervous system and finishing at the level of the muscle fibers. Any variable that interferes with any component of that sequence can produce less than optimal muscle recruitment patterns. It has been suggested that a reduction in oscillatory displacement of a muscle may optimize neurotransmission and the mechanics of muscle contraction at the molecular level (14).

Increased movement efficiency and superior technique
As a consequence of enhanced proprioception compression garments may reduce or even offset the detrimental effects that fatigue has on both technique and joint position sense. This has positive ramifications for both performance and injury prevention.

In a recent study in trained runners it was reported that compression garments worn during running may enhance circulation and decrease muscle oscillation to promote a lower energy expenditure at a given submaximal speed (2). Greater efficiency corresponds to reduced fatigue which is of obvious benefit to athletic performance and injury prevention.