Abstract
Excessive and prolonged exposure to impact acceleration during running is associated
with increased injury rate. Acute use of compressive garments has been speculated
to improve attenuation. However, it is unknown how longer interventions of compressive
garments influence attenuation in running. 40 runners trained with compressive and
placebo stockings for 3 weeks. Perception of comfort, stride parameters (rate, length)
and impact acceleration (head and tibial peak acceleration, magnitude, acceleration
rate and attenuation) were measured every 5 min during a fatigue run (30 min at 80%
of the individual’s maximal aerobic speed). Compressive stockings reduced tibial peak
acceleration and magnitude compared to placebo stockings at every minute (p<0.05)
except for the initial measurement (p>0.05). Moreover, compressive stockings led to
a lower rate of increase in tibial peak acceleration (14%, p<0.005) and magnitude
(16%, p<0.001) as a result of the development of fatigue compared to placebo stockings
(24% and 26% increase, p=0.014 and p=0.003, respectively). Similar perception of comfort
was reported for both garments. Training with compressive stockings for 3 weeks reduced
impact acceleration and the rate of increase in acceleration compared to placebo stockings.
These findings suggest that compressive stockings may play a protective role by reducing
impact accelerations during running.
Key words
impact acceleration - graduated compressive stockings - comfort - exertion - shock
attenuation
