from the muscles. The garments
compress the smaller veins and
force the blood to go to the
deeper veins which transport the
blood back to the heart.
There is inconsistent evidence
in the research papers with
regard to this however a study
analysing 12 papers (iv) on
this topic showed that there
is evidence to show that
compression pants do reduce
the severity of DOMS, however
there isn’t an agreed protocol
of how long and when to wear
them. There are no negative
impacts on recovery from
wearing compression pants, so
if you already have a pair, don’t
go throwing them out!Pros: Relatively cheap.
Cons: For compression pants to beeffective they need to be tight, with
a graduated compression with
the greatest pressure at the lower
leg. So getting the right fit can
sometimes be tricky.Arnica Ice
I was introduced to this product
through a South African friend
of mine, who was an ultra
marathon runner. Apparently it
is a ‘go to’ recovery product for
long distance runners in South
Africa and purchased in large
tubs from vets at the equivalent
of $10 per large tub. So when
she brought me back a tub, I
thought I should give it a go.
I think that a human version
is now available, it is probably
five times the price though!
Arnica Ice is a cooling gel that
according to the label 'is to aid inthe relief of stiffness and soreness
in muscles.' It contains Arnica oil,
menthol, camphor and
witch hazel.
There isn’t any research on this
exact product but the studies
on the efficacy of topical Arnica
showed at best only a very
modest effect. Interestingly in one
study, participants in the topical
Arnica group reported less pain
as assessed through muscle
tenderness post-exercise. However
the application of topical Arnica
did not affect any performance
assessments or markers of muscle
damage or inflammation.Pros: Cheap, feels good.
Cons: The science doesn’t stack
up, it may feel nice but there is
little evidence that it really helps
with recovery.RECOVERYAbove and Opposite:
The most important
recovery technique...sleep!