If you turn on an NBA game, you can see athletes scoring in compression arm sleeves. Maybe your doctor recommended them to you, or maybe you saw somebody wearing them in your local gym. But what is the purpose of compression arm sleeves exactly? What are compression arm sleeves used for? How do they work exactly and what is the purpose of compression arm sleeves?
How Do Compression Arm Sleeves Work?
Just like other compression garments, arm sleeves enhance blood circulation over the area they cover. The main use of compression arm sleeves is to promote blood flow in the arm with the aid of carefully designed, scientifically woven materials that put pressure and push together the area they cover. This way the veins get tighter and the blood flows quicker.
If you have some pain, make sure you buy compression sleeves that cover the problem area. Otherwise the compression is useless, the improved blood flow can’t really affect the area. This is in fact one of the biggest differences between sleeves and socks.
Graduated compression arm sleeves promote blood circulation the most. This type of arm sleeve puts the most pressure on the area furthest away from the heart. As the sleeve gets further from the wrist, the higher the pressure gets.
There are other, more residual purposes of these products. For one, they compress the muscles, promoting more ergonomic movement patterns. This has an injury prevention result. They also keep your arm muscles warm. If you are recovering from an injury, wearing compression arm sleeves decreases your recovery time significantly. Now let’s look at the most common uses of compression arm sleeves.
Six Benefits of Compression Arm Sleeves
Improve blood circulation: Compression garments are worn most for their ability to enhance blood circulation. They put pressure on the skin and compress the veins to achieve more fluent blood flow. This helps your muscles work more efficiently and longer.
Recovery: The quicker and more oxygen the muscles get the sooner they recover between workouts. Also the more nutrients the muscles get, the quicker they are able to perform at peak capacity again.
Protection against impact: Compression arm sleeves serve as a mini protective layer against any impact. They protect you when you go up against another player in the paint or you tackle a running back on the field.
The best compression arm sleeves are made of durable materials. They serve as an added layer of protection against any abrasions the outside world might have on your skin. Small debris, or your opponent accidentally scratching your skin won’t be an issue anymore. Thanks to the carefully designed breathable materials, this will never pose an issue again.
Skin protection: The best compression arm sleeves come with UV protection. This is great for pickup games, streetball or workouts in outdoor gyms. Some arm sleeves block out 98.8% of harmful UV rays.
Temperature regulation: The added layer warms you up. Thanks to the breathability of the material it helps your skin breathe. As the sweat evaporates your skin can cool down.
Basketball Compression Arm Sleeves
It is not a mystery why you see so many athletes wearing compression arm sleeves on the tennis court, playing basketball or in the gym. These sports require a lot of upper body and arm mobility.
Basketball compression arm sleeves are used for injury prevention, added stability and keeping up muscle freshness if they are used during the sport. The sleeve compresses the arm muscles, keeps them in their proper place and help move in more ergonomic manner. This cuts down the time the muscles need to perform certain movements. The improved blood circulation gets oxygen and nutrients to the muscles quicker, which also results in better muscle movement.
Click here to read about basketball compression socks.
Some sports can lead to chronic injuries, for example tennis elbow. Another great purpose of compression arm sleeves is reducing the inflammation in the joints by enhancing the blood flow.
Positive Effects on the Lymphic System
The lymphic system has a crucial role to play in a well functioning immune response. The lymphic system moves along fluids in the body, removing dead cells, waste and toxins. If you see your arms swelling up, in most cases it is the sign of lymphedema, a faulty lymph system. This swelling is the fluid buildup in the body’s vascular and lymphatic system. Compression helps lymph circulation just like it does blood circulation. Eventually the swelling will go away.
Another important, yet often overlooked purpose of calf compression sleeves is energy regulation. By speeding up the blood flow, energy depleted cells are made to feel better. The toxins are removed from the cells quicker. The cells get a constant supply of fresh blood full of energy, oxygen, nutrients rejuvenating them.
Temperature Regulation
Your temperature is regulated mostly by blood circulation. This is even more important in the areas further away from the heart, in your limbs. Compression arm sleeves speed up the flow of warm blood into the limbs. They also add another layer to keep you warm.
The problem during intermittent sports are the breaks. When you stop, your body cools down. It is very hard to come out again swinging for the fences. Imagine the breaks between sets in tennis. How you come out after the pause gives you a crucial advantage. Winning those first few points can make or break a win. Sleeves ensure that the optimal blood flow keeps your arms warm even during these pauses.
The best compression arm sleeves are made of breathable materials with moisture wicking ability. This has a cool down effect on the skin. As the sweat evaporates, it cools down the skin.
Wearing Sleeves During the Night
I regularly have people ask me whether they can wear compression sleeves at night. The short answer is: you can. Although don’t wear them both during the day and night. You need to give your veins and muscles some time to rest. The best use for compression arm sleeves during the night is recovery. After a demanding workout sleep in your arm sleeves and wake up like a new person!
