The use of lower-body compression garments during high-intensity exercise performance in basketball athletes

Abstract

This study examined the effects of lower-body compression garments worn following exercise on perceived recovery and subsequent performance in basketball athletes. In a parallel-group design, 30 recreational, male basketball athletes were randomly allocated to either a control (CON, n = 15, loose-fitting clothing) or experimental group (COMP, n = 15, compression garments) for 15h following fatigue-inducing, basketball-specific exercise. The evening exercise bout (1600-1800 h) included performance of the Basketball Exercise Simulation Test, lunge jumps, and an isometric wall sit exercise. Perceptual measures of fatigue and muscle soreness as well as physical performance tests (sprints, jumps and agility) were performed pre-exercise, post-exercise, and post-recovery (15 h following exercise). Subjective and objective measures of sleep were recorded following the exercise trial. There were non-significant (p > 0.05), unclear-trivial differences between groups for all performance measures. Perceived post-recovery fatigue (d = -1.27, large) and muscle soreness (d = -1.61, large) were significantly lower in COMP compared to CON (p < 0.05). COMP exhibited better perceived sleep quality (d = 0.42, small, p = 0.18) than CON, with an unclear difference in sleep duration between groups (p > 0.05). Wearing lower-body compression garments overnight improved perceived fatigue and muscle soreness, but had negligible effects on subsequent physical performances in basketball athletes.