The Use of Compression Stockings During a Marathon Competition to Reduce Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: Are They Really Useful?

STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; ecological study. OBJECTIVES: To examine the efficacy of wearing compression stockings to prevent muscle damage and to maintain running performance during a marathon competition. BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced muscle damage has been identified as one of the main causes of the progressive decrease in running and muscular performance found during marathon races. METHODS: Thirty-four experienced runners were pair-matched for age, anthropometric data, and best race time in the marathon, and randomly assigned to a control group (n = 17) of runners who wore conventional socks or to a group of runners who wore foot-to-knee graduated compression stockings (n = 17). Before and after the race, a sample of venous blood was obtained, and jump height and leg muscle power were measured during a countermovement jump. Serum myoglobin and creatine kinase concentrations were determined as blood markers of muscle fiber damage. RESULTS: Total race time was not different between the control group and the compression stockings group (210 +/- 23 and 214 +/- 22 minutes, respectively; P = .58). Between the control group and the compression stockings group, postrace reductions in leg muscle power (-19.8% +/- 17.7% versus -24.8% +/- 18.4%, respectively; P = .37) and jump height (-25.3% +/- 14.1% versus -32.5% +/- 20.4%, respectively; P = .27) were similar. At the end of the race, there were no differences between the control group and the compression stockings group in serum myoglobin (568 +/- 347 ng.mL(-1) versus 573 +/- 270 ng.mL(-1), respectively; P = .97) and creatine kinase concentration (390 +/- 166 U.L-1, versus 487 +/- 227 U.L-1,, respectively; P = .16). CONCLUSION: The use of compression stockings did not improve running pace and did not prevent exercise-induced muscle damage during the marathon. Wearing compression stockings during long-distance running events is an ineffective strategy to avoid the deleterious effects of muscle damage on running performance.