Wearing Compression Socks During Running Does Not Change Physiological, Running Performance, and Perceptual Outcomes:...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Compression socks are widely marketed to runners, despite limited high-quality evidence on their efficacy.
• The purported benefits for physiological, performance, and perceptual outcomes remain largely unverified in scientific literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the effects of compression socks during running.
• To compare outcomes between compression socks, placebo, and regular socks in runners.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of five major databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science) was conducted.
• Twenty-eight randomized controlled trials involving 600 runners were included, with 16 contributing to meta-analysis.
• Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias 2 tool.

Main Results:

• Pooled analysis revealed no significant differences in physiological parameters (heart rate, blood lactate) between compression and regular socks (low to moderate-certainty evidence).
• Running performance metrics, including speed and time to exhaustion, showed no significant improvements with compression socks (very low to low-certainty evidence).
• Perceptual outcomes, such as perceived exertion and muscle soreness, also did not differ significantly between conditions (very low to moderate-certainty evidence).

Conclusions:

• Current evidence suggests that wearing compression socks during running does not provide significant benefits for physiological, performance, or perceptual outcomes compared to regular socks.
• The certainty of evidence ranges from very low to moderate, indicating a need for further high-quality research.