UKC

What are your thoughts on the use of these in climbing?

Couples of examples of arm/forearm compression sleeves....
http://www.2xu.com/uk/p/mcs-compression-arm-guards/UA3513a.html?dwvar_UA351...

http://www.compressport.uk.com/home/79-armforce-armsleeve-utmb-2015.html

There is a science behind the compression, the leg varieties are apparently banned in pro cycling for the benefits they give. I've used them in general running and they did help.

But wondering if the arm/forearm varieties would benefit sport climbing/bouldering.

Welcome any feedback, esp if you've used them.

In reply to afshin:
Well it is getting chilly and they will help keep you warm at least. Other than than, probably best to file under homeopathy along with that trendy, weird tape that magically cures all sorts of muscle problems. They're probably banned in pro cycling because nobody can see if you have shaved your legs or not, which apparently is really rude.

I should note they were giving these out at the wall. My mate climbed with them on for a whole session, he was resolutely shite as usual. Nothing much changed apart from him looking rather stupid.

In reply to afshin:

I can imagine boulders wearing them. No top + beanie + random pair of sleeves anyone?

In reply to afshin:

In my experience even having tight sleeves causes me to get pumped so much quicker. I always to climb in no more than a tshirt.

Lactic acid (or whatever it is) fills arm and can't drain away?

In reply to afshin:

You could borrow a pair from one of the climbing shops in Kalymnos this year but surely they would spoil your suntan

Al

In reply to afshin:

I understand that the cycling version is banned for their aerodynamic benefits on the track, not because of any "compression" magic on the leg

In reply to GridNorth:


Climbing in the shade would do more for your grade than a pair of magic sleeves!

In reply to afshin:

My understanding of the use for the compression socks is that they stop the muscle jiggling (scientific) which requires energy from the supporting muscles to stop. This also requires longer to recover from (the jiggling causing micro damage). Apparently there is some research to back this up. As such i cant see how forearms versions would work the same. having said that, they may have an effect on the circulatory system but as others said above, tight sleeves have made me prematurely pumped before so i cant see this being a good idea.

In reply to Ally Smith:

Indeed, I reckoned I'd have cooked wearing them in the sun or shade...plus for the grades I climb I don't think forearm pump is the issue... being a big chicken is!

In reply to afshin:

Actually, I'd like to know if anyone has tried them for winter climbing? not so much for endurance, but do they help with preventing the hot aches any or just keeping the arms/wrists a bit warmer?

In reply to afshin:

A guy I know in Germany used them between redpoints for recovery, he wasn't sure himself yet if they helped. Also saw a video of two brothers who are sponsored by a compression sleeve brand, they certainly aren't a stylish item...

In reply to Bouldering Ben:



My thoughts too, I hate having tight sleeves when climbing.

In reply to Christheclimber:


Ditto

In reply to GridNorth:

thought you would have tried them Al?

In reply to Christheclimber:

you just tight!!!..lol
I know..pot kettle..etc
cheers
Nick

In reply to afshin: Pretty sure that I acquired some for free ages ago at a climbing comp. Never used them and don't know where they ended up.

In reply to afshin:

A German company makes forearm sleeves specifically aimed at the climbing market: see http://vertics.eu/ . These sleeves go just from wrist to elbow. The site has some studies on the purportedly beneficial effects.

I have a pair, which I like for the bit of warmth they provide, as I've struggled with elbow tendonitis for many years (and the compression also helps a bit with that). When it gets hot and humid I find them far too uncomfortable to wear.

I don't have any sense that they prolong forearm endurance or recovery.

In reply to La benya:


As the husband to a physio, her response is usually 'utter bullshit'. There is very limited and weak at best "evidence" for use during exercise.

Post exercise is a different ball game though.

There's only one group benefitting from this paradigm.

In reply to Stuart (aka brt):

Yeah I would agree with the utter bullshit comment.

What's the workings post exercise? Compression afffecting the lymphatic system?

In reply to astley007:


Certainly pot and kettle black ring true, Nick!!!!!

In reply to rgold:

How do you think it helps with your elbow trouble?
(And what type of elbow trouble do you have - is it tendonitis or actually tendonosis? And is it tennis or golders (pain inside or outside?)

In reply to afshin:

I used a compression sleeve in winter years ago to support an olecranon bursitis injury, which I had kept re-injuring. I used it to improve comfort around my elbow mainly and used an elbow guard to reduce impact. It was a proper medical grade class 2 compression sleeve that I measured and ordered for myself (I'm an orthotist). It did the job I intended but I did feel slightly more pumped in the forearm all the time. It didn't actually affect my climbing grade but it definitely didn't improve it.

In reply to Ally Smith:


This. Also, all kinds of things are banned in pro cycling for spurious reasons, it doesn't mean doing the converse would make you better at climbing. The uci has regulations on sock length (must not exceed the mid-distance between the ankle and the knee) and sleeves on your jersey (mandatory).

In reply to afshin:

In my experience any compression or restriction of movement around the forearms has a negative impact on my climbing, especially in that I get pumped quicker.

I'd be interested to see the pros/cons of them in a proper study though. Any students out there who fancy it?

In reply to Ally Smith:

The last thing I need is to be more aerodynamic. I seem to fall far too bloody fast as it is.

In reply to afshin:

Rather than splashing on proper compression sleeves just buy the appropriate size of elastic tubigrip bandage for a couple of pound. Easy to vary the level if compression by folding back on itself. I use them to help deal with lingering tennis elbow and they work a treat for me.

If they don't work for you you're only down a couple of quid and you can stick them in your first aid box.

In reply to GridNorth:

I got a free trial of a pair for a day in Kaluymnos. Needless to say it was completely inconclusive. We did quite a long days climbing over on Telendos but didn't push our grades. I wasn't unduly tired at the end and had recovered well by next morning but I had no way of telling if the sleeves had any influence on that one way or another. It was early in the trip and I may well have recovered just as well or better without them.

As for comfort, I thought I wouldn't like wearing them but put them on early and by the time we got to the crag I has=d pretty much forgotten about them so it wasn't a bit issue. BUT more or less the price of a resole for something that may or may not have any benefit?

One suggested mechanism was that by preventing/reducing arm swelling it forced the blood to pass through more quickly so that waste products were flushed out rather than retained. However, to me it seems more likely that if upstream blood pressure is fixed and the blood vessel size is restricted then blood flow would be reduced (if you are doing some plumbing you don't reduce the diameter of the pipes to get a more forceful shower!) so this seems more like a pseudo-convincing reason to buy than a scientific fact.