Introduction: The use of sports compression garments has increased substantially in recent years. Manufacturers are increasingly marketing compression garments to athletes for their beneficial effects, which are not completely consistent with the research findings. Due to the use of various research protocols as well as different types of compression garments, the current literature is lacking uniform conclusions. According to the extensive literature review, the present study is the first to observe the influence of compression calf sleeve (CCS) on skin blood flow of the lower limb at rest and after physical exercise. Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of CCS on skin microcirculation of the lower limb at rest and after physical exercise. Methods: Nine healthy volunteers (4 women and 5 men) participated in the study. For each subject, two measurements were performed. The first measurement was carried out without the use of compression calf sleeves (NCCS) and the second with CCS, simultaneously on both calves. The experimental procedure was the same for both measurements and consisted of three phases: a 10-minute sitting resting position (1), a moderate physical exercise on cycloergometer (2) and a 25- minute recovery phase after physical exercise (3). During the first and the third phase, the local skin blood flow was measured by laser-Doppler method and the skin temperature was controlled on acral and non-acral skin parts distal from compression. All the while, the arterial blood pressure, the heart rate and the core body temperature were monitored. During the second phase, only the heart rate was being measured to assess the level of effort. Results: At rest, CCS statistically significant increased the skin blood flow in acral skin (from 56,51 ± 12,48 PU to 87,06 ± 15,93 PU; P = 0,04) as well as in non-acral skin areas (from 6,76 ± 1,15 PU to 9,41 ± 1,54 PU; P = 0,04) respectively. In the recovery phase, there were no statistically significant changes in the skin blood flow when using CCS. Discussion and conclusion: The use of CCS increased the skin blood flow of the lower limb in the sitting position at rest, which means that CCS oppose the veno-arteriolar reflex. On the contrary, after physical exertion, the skin blood flow of acral as well as non-acral skin is independent from CCS. In the future, we would like to eliminate some limitations of our study and determine the influence of CCS on muscle oxygenation with the method of near-infrared spectroscopy.
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