Effect of Lower Leg Compression on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Compression therapy, particularly in the form of compression boots, has a longstanding history in both clinical and athletic settings as a method to enhance circulation and promote recovery. PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness of pneumatic air compression therapy in reducing delated onset muscle soreness (DOMS). METHODS: Participants (n=24, age=22.7±5.3 yrs, ht=165.3±11.9 cm, wt=74.7±14.2 kg) performed a set of calf raises to exhaustion on a riser in front of a Smith machine at 70 repetitions per minutes while holding a dumbbell (males = 10 lbs, females = 5 lbs). After a 2-minute break, this was again performed but without the dumbbell. Participants then sat in a reclined chair and fitted with a pneumatic compression boot on the left leg, with the right serving as the control. Compression was applied using the circulation mode at the maximum setting for 30 minutes. Participants then took home a soreness questionnaire that included a 0-6 pain scale (PS) and a 0-100 visual analog scale (VAS) to complete on both right and left calves after 24 and 48 hours. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to identify differences in soreness between calves, with Alpha set at .05. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in self recall pain (F(3, 21) = 1.85, p = 0.168) or in VAS (F(3, 21) = 1.70, p = 0.197) between the calves. CONCLUSION: Although it was hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in delayed onset muscle soreness between treatment conditions, the results of this study did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference. These findings suggest that there should be further examination of the effectiveness of compression therapy with pneumatic devices in reducing DOMS.