I’ve decided to try and put to use my Normatec boots gathering dust in the corner now that I’m attempting the 100/100 challenge. Having been intermittent in using them and feeling little real value, I thought the wisdom of ST would be a help. I’m wondering if there are ANY studies, actual research or at least personal experiences as to when to use them in proximity of the actual workout. As in some forms of recovery, is it best to use as close to the finish of a workout, a certain number of hours later, or is there no true “most beneficial” timing in recovery? I would think that similar to recovery nutrition there would be a most effective timing linked to their use, but does anyone know if there is actual peer reviewed study and/or research that gives guidance on best practices?
For Compression in general, there’s not really a strong evidence base in support of it, especially from a sport perspective (some in terms of clot prevention for bedridden patients). In terms of the compression boots, the evidence is even sparser, most of it being studies conducted with funding (or in kind contribution) of the manufacturer’s themselves, so I would be skeptical of most of that. That being said, anecdotally I see plenty of people using them, that swear by them, but there’s no evidence to suggest that’s much more than a really expensive placebo effect. (for the boots it’s really hard to study definitively, since essentially you would need to create a sham boot for your control arm in order to mitigate for possible placebo effects).
No studies that I am aware of BUT my legs feel fantastic after using them. If nothing else it provides a soothing massage which may provide some pain relief through endorphin release.
I remember Matt Hanson writing something about some different studies on this (yes he’s sponsored by normatec). Not sure if it was his blog or instagram, but you should be able to find it. One thing that stuck out to me was the recommendation to wear them prior to exercise.
Use them before, use them after, use them whenever the heck you can. I have seen links to studies, but don’t feel like looking for them. What I can say is that they have become a HUGE tool in helping me feel better. I don’t really care what the studies say… If I feel better and lighter on my feet, I have better quality sessions.
Less swelling in legs = better. I don’t know what I would do without them.
generally speaking, training stress not shed through natural recovery processes is training stress that is not absorbed. Perfect training would not include any modalities to recover. You’re making yourself slower by using ice baths and pneumatic boots.
they reduce inflammation, your body’s response to combatting that inflammation and adapting to it is fitness. Any ergogenic thing that reduces inflammation reduces your body’s response to it reduces the fitness you’ll get out of it.
But… after races i think they are fine and prior to workouts i think they are fine. If you are “so beat up” after a _______ session than that session was too hard.
generally speaking, training stress not shed through natural recovery processes is training stress that is not absorbed. Perfect training would not include any modalities to recover. You’re making yourself slower by using ice baths and pneumatic boots.
Thank you. That makes perfect sense. I completely agree on the ice baths, but was on the fence as to boots.
they reduce inflammation, your body’s response to combatting that inflammation and adapting to it is fitness. Any ergogenic thing that reduces inflammation reduces your body’s response to it reduces the fitness you’ll get out of it.
But… after races i think they are fine and prior to workouts i think they are fine. If you are “so beat up” after a _______ session than that session was too hard.
In my link above, Hanson had this to say about this subject…
So this is one area where I am changing my viewpoint based on some new studies. Previously, I would only use the NormaTecs Immediately after a workout during my taper period. I had read some previous studies on antioxidant supplementation post exercise blunting performance adaptation because they reduce the inflammation post exercise. This inflammation is what signals the body to rebuild the muscles stronger than what they were before. I related this to the NormaTec as well. Sequential pulse compression has shown to do a remarkable job of removing inflammation post exercise. I was a bit worried that removing this inflammation too quickly would possibly blunt the response of exercise leading to a diminished adaptation. So I always waited a few hours post exercise before using the recovery boots to allow my body to “naturally†deal with the inflammation first. However, a few recent studies have shown that using the NormaTec right after exercise could actually increase adaptation to exercise. There is no easy way to explain the exact mechanisms of this, but basically the sequential pulse compression has been shown to increase the signals that lead to protein synthesis and muscle growth. SO, they actually MAY be increasing the muscle adaptation rather…this will no doubt be subject of numerous future studies. Pretty cool stuff! The NormaTec boots have also been shown to reduce lactic acid levels as effectively as easy aerobic exercise when done after exercise. So for those of you who haven’t figured out how to flip the “off switch†for the last 10 minutes of a workout or just want to get every bit of intensity you can during the time you have to workout, this can be a great way of helping kick start the recovery process post exercise. Finally, using the boots after exercise has also shown to reduce pain, stiffness, and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). So…essentially you will feel much better if you use the compression boots after exercise.
yeah, I don’t know one way or the other, but it is interesting for sure. I don’t have a pair but just based on how people say they make them feel, I would like to get some.