Compression Garment-induced Leg Changes Increase Hemodynamic Responses in Healthy Individuals

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Sports Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Lower-body compression garments are increasingly used by athletes.
• Understanding the physiological effects of varying compression pressures is crucial.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the morphological and hemodynamic impacts of graded compression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate morphological changes in lower limb tissues under different compression pressures.
• To assess the associated hemodynamic responses to varying lower-body compression.
• To investigate these effects in physically active, healthy individuals at rest.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-two healthy, physically active participants underwent three compression trials: Low (2.2±1.4 mmHg), Medium (12.9±3.9 mmHg), and High (28.8±8.3 mmHg).
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measured cross-sectional areas of leg muscles (CSA_muscle), subcutaneous fat (CSA_fat), superficial vessels (SupV), deep arteries (DA), and deep veins (DV) at calf, knee, and thigh.
• Doppler ultrasound (USCOM®) measured blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR).

Main Results:

• High compression significantly reduced calf CSA_muscle and SupV, while increasing calf DA and DV size (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively).
• Calf CSA_fat remained consistent across all compression levels.
• Cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV) were elevated only with High compression (p<0.05), with no significant changes in other hemodynamic variables.

Conclusions:

• High lower-body compression induces significant morphological alterations in the calf.
• Increased cardiac output and stroke volume are associated with high compression in resting individuals.
• These findings provide insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying compression garment efficacy.