Research
Mixed
Compression garments and immersion significantly reduce subjective DOMS and perceived fatigue, but they do not significantly alter blood markers of muscle damage (CK) or inflammation (IL-6, CRP).
Wear compression garments for 24 hours after intense exercise to help manage pain and tiredness. They will make you feel better, but they will not actually repair your muscle tissue or lower inflammation in your blood.
StrongQualifiesHIGH confidence
We also found a significant decrease in perceived fatigue when compression garments were used. ... we did not observe any significant changes in CK, IL-6, or CRP concentrations after the use of compression garments following exercise.
Why this rating
Based on meta-analysis of 99 studies.
Source
An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis
Olivier Dupuy et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2018
DOI 10.3389/fphys.2018.00403
Meta-analysis · 99 studiesCited 382×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Post-exercise massage is the most effective recovery technique for reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and perceived fatigue, outperforming active recovery, compression garments, immersion, and cryotherapy.Strong
- Cold water immersion (temperature <15°C) and cryotherapy reduce DOMS, but they do not significantly alter inflammatory markers (IL-6, CRP) or muscle damage markers (CK) after a single session.Strong
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →