If you didn’t participate in collegiate or professional athletics, you probably have never come across a pneumatic compression device. However, these devices have entered into the mainstream of rehabilitation techniques and are now commonly used to treat a variety of conditions.
Are you curious about whether or not compression sleeve therapy can help you? Let’s dive in and discuss five of the major benefits of compression sleeve therapy!
Benefit #1: Less Swelling
After an injury, the body’s natural healing response includes a period of swelling around the damaged area. While this is a normal part of the healing process, swelling needs to be controlled, or it may cause serious discomfort and delayed recovery.
Compression sleeve therapy works to reduce swelling by essentially squeezing the injured area of the leg and forcing the fluid out of this space. This fluid then returns back into the systemic circulation, allowing for better healing and less pain.
Benefit #2: Decreased Pain
In general, compression sleeve therapy can often reduce a patient’s pain significantly. This pain reduction is accomplished in a variety of ways.
First off, compression sleeve therapy pushes the fluid out of the injured area (as described above). This takes pressure off of vulnerable, healing structures, enabling them to recover without impediment.
Secondly, this type of treatment operates on a principle in which a slight amount of discomfort can decrease overall pain. This is similar to the use of cold therapy, where the skin can become cold and uncomfortable, but the body is left in a less painful state after the cold has been removed.
Benefit #3: Better Joint Range of Motion
Compression sleeve therapy can help to stimulate blood flow to the injured area. In turn, this results in improved range of motion within the injured joint. For instance, an injured knee, due to an accident, surgery, or other cause, will often have motion restrictions. By applying compression to the lower limb, the range of motion in this area can improve transiently and even in the long term.
Benefit #4: Improved Athleticism
Whether you’re talking about a grandparent, a professional basketball player, or anything in between: everyone’s an athlete. The only difference is the sport or activity in question.
Some people may truly participate in a sport as we commonly refer to them, such as basketball, football, or baseball, to name a few. For others, their daily activities requiring a certain level of function and athleticism may simply involve them bending down and picking up groceries, driving a car, or cleaning their home. No matter what the physical requirements of your life are, it’s important that you are able to do them as well as possible.
Compression sleeve therapy can help to increase blood flow to the lower body. This leads to increased range of motion, decreased pain and swelling. This paves the way for improved athletic performance.
Benefit #5: Prevents Blood Clots
Blood clots are a major fear of people today. When a blood clot develops anywhere in the body, it can travel to the lungs or other smaller arteries, leading to tissue death and serious health problems.
For this reason, preventing blood clots is key. This can be done in a number of ways including:
- Maintaining a healthy diet.
- Exercising daily.
- Using compression therapy.
Compression therapy is often accomplished through the use of compression stockings, known as TED (Thrombo-Embolic Deterrent) hose.
However, this type of compression device can be effectively used alongside compression sleeve therapy in order to lessen the chance of developing blood clots.
Are you looking for some additional methods to help you overcome an injury? If so, Awaken Chiropractic, your go-to Parker chiropractor, has you covered with our compression sleeve therapy treatments. Book your appointment today!
