VO2max and anaerobic threshold are physiological measurements that are deemed to be highly correlated to success in endurance sports. VO2max is defined as the greatest rate of oxygen uptake by the body measured during severe dynamic exercise (16). Anaerobic threshold is defined as the level of oxygen consumption at which there is a rapid and systematic increase in blood lactate concentration (16)

Recently a study reported that compression garments resulted in a 10% increase in VO2max and a 40% increase in the anaerobic threshold as measured during a graded exercise test (13). This data suggests that compression garments could be of significant benefits to the endurance athlete both during training and competition.
Would wearing compression garments during competition and training reduce injuries?

There is mounting scientific evidence that suggests that compression garments worn during training and/or competition may reduce the likelihood of injury. This is related to several of the physiological mechanisms of compression garments including:

Increased muscle temperature

It is well established that a warm up prior to intense exercise may reduce the incidence of some sporting injuries (15). One of the principle functions of a warm up is to progressively increase the muscle temperature in preparation for more intense activity. A study conducted by Doan and co-workers (7) reported that compression garments facilitated a more rapid increase in skin temperature during a controlled warm up. Consequently this could allow optimal muscle temperature to be reached more quickly during a standardized warm up protocol.

Increased proprioception

Enhancing muscle proprioception has become a key focus in recent years in an attempt to reduce serious sporting injuries such as ligament tears. Programs designed

to increase muscle and joint proprioception have reported significant reductions in career threatening injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament tears (3). As research has also reported compression garments to enhance joint proprioception (11) this is another physiological mechanism by which compression garments may reduce injury rates.