Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
Non-invasive Assessments of Subjective and Objective Recovery Characteristics Following an Exhaustive Jump Protocol
Published on: June 8, 2017
Neoprene thigh sleeves and muscle cooling after exercise
Alison A Miller1, Kenneth L Knight, J Brent Feland
1Loara High School, Anaheim, CA, USA.
Context:
Neoprene sleeves are alleged to increase heat in skeletal muscle, but no published research supports this belief.
Objectives:
To quantify anterior thigh skin and intramuscular temperature changes in varsity athletes wearing a neoprene thigh sleeve.
Design:
A 2 x 2 x 3 x 5 factorial design with replicated measures on 3 variables. Independent variables included sex (male or female), neoprene sleeve (yes or no), exercise intensity (control, 50% intensity bicycle, 70% intensity bicycle), and exercise phase (5 minutes pre-exercise, 15 minutes of exercise, 0-10 minutes postexercise, 11-20 minutes postexercise, 21- 30 minutes postexercise).
Setting:
Research laboratory.
Patients Or Other Participants:
12 male (23 +/- 0.95 years) and 12 female (20.59 +/- 1.44 years) National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate athletes actively engaged in offseason strength and conditioning programs.
Intervention(S):
We sampled skin and muscle temperatures every 10 seconds for 50 minutes with a telethermometer interfaced to a personal computer. Each 60-minute session included 15 minutes pre-exercise (temperatures recorded during the last 5 minutes), 15 minutes of exercise (control, 50% intensity, and 70% intensity), and 30 minutes postexercise. Skin temperature was measured on the anterior aspect of the thigh using surface thermocouples. Intramuscular temperature was measured in the vastus lateralis muscle at a depth of 2 cm below the subcutaneous fat using implantable thermocouples.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Skin and intramuscular temperature.
Results:
Skin temperature was greater when subjects were wearing neoprene sleeves (1.4 degrees C during control, 3.1 degrees C during 70% exercise). Wearing a thigh sleeve had no effect on intramuscular temperature before or during exercise, but postexercise temperatures averaged 0.5 degrees C higher. Exercise intensity showed 1.3 degrees C to 2.0 degrees C increases in temperature with the sleeve. Females had higher intramuscular temperatures than males when wearing sleeves (1.4 degrees C during control, 1 degrees C during 50% exercise, and 0.8 degrees C during 70% exercise). Males had higher skin temperatures than females (0.8 degrees C during 50% exercise, 1 degrees C during 70% exercise).
Conclusions:
Neoprene sleeves are effective in maintaining intramuscular temperature after 15 minutes of exercise and in increasing skin temperature during and after exercise. These results may be attributable to the insulating effects of the neoprene sleeve.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Thermoregulation
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:25Increased Body Temperature
01:29Decreased Body Temperature
01:14Assessing Body Temperature - Axilla
Step 1: Perform hand hygiene and put on clean gloves to maintain infection control and prevent cross-contamination.
Step 2: Prepare the patient by explaining the procedure to ensure understanding and cooperation. Ensure privacy, expose the axilla, and inform the patient that minimal movement is crucial for an accurate reading.
Step 3: Adjust the patient’s clothing to expose only the axilla. It minimizes...
01:15Veins of Lower Limbs
Formed by the union of the medial and lateral plantar veins, the posterior tibial vein, rising through the calf muscle, assimilates the fibular vein. The anterior tibial vein, a superior extension of the foot's dorsalis pedis vein, merges with the posterior tibial vein at the knee,...