Complete Guide to Compression Therapy: What It Is and How It Benefits You

Are you looking to bounce back from a tough workout or dealing with chronic pain? Have you been wondering how to increase blood flow to feet?

Compression therapy can help by improving blood flow, reducing muscle soreness, and speeding up recovery, allowing you to return to peak performance faster. 

In this guide, you’ll learn what compression therapy is, its benefits, and its key uses.

Why Trust Us and Some Disclaimer

This article has been written by a licensed physiotherapist, Dr. Alex Stone, DPT, and reviewed for accuracy by, Dr. Gary Tanchak, D.C.

In addition to our content being written by experts, we extensively test all devices that we recommend, and have a clear review process established.

You should know that research is still limited on massage guns, so many ideas will still need testing and vetting. However, we have reviewed several resources to ensure we’re providing the most reliable information.

This post is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. We encourage you to check with your medical doctor before using any of the advice given here.

What Is Compression Therapy?

You might’ve seen athletes in professional sports recovery rooms – NBA players, soccer players, and Olympic runners – lying back with huge foam-like trousers covering their legs, looking like they’re preparing for a space mission. You could’ve even mistaken them for oversized leggings. They are not leggings, but a key part of a recovery method known as compression therapy.

So, what is compression therapy, and is it a good sports recovery therapy for athletes?

Let’s Define Compression Therapy

Simply put, pneumatic compression therapy is all about applying controlled pressure to specific areas of the body, usually with specialized garments or devices. The goal? To improve blood circulation, one of the compression therapy benefits

By doing so, it helps reduce swelling, supports faster recovery, and boosts overall performance. It’s a simple, yet powerful tool to help your body recover more efficiently after intense physical activity.

The pressure helps move blood from your extremities back toward your heart, reducing swelling and inflammation. This is done by Normatec compression boots, the pioneers of this technology.

This process enhances oxygen delivery to tissues, speeds up the removal of waste products like lactic acid, and promotes faster muscle recovery^​1​. 

If you are an athlete, or recovering from injuries, or have circulation issues, this is a non-invasive way to support healing and performance.

How Does Compression Therapy Work?

Alright, so how exactly does compression therapy work? The science behind it is pretty fascinating. 

Essentially, it uses controlled, graduated pressure to stimulate blood flow and reduce inflammation^​2​. We like to compare it to carefully rolling up a yoga mat. 

Here’s how: Normatec compression boots and other garments apply the highest pressure at the extremities—like your ankles—and gradually ease up as they move toward the center of your body. 

This is known as pneumatic compression therapy, and it forces blood back toward your heart, preventing it from pooling in your veins. 

On the schematic below, at the top, the pneumatic compression therapy starts from the foot (zone A). A few seconds later, the compression therapy moves to the ankle (zone B) and subsequently reaches the last zone while holding pressure.

Normatec compression (from Hyperice), RecoveryAir (Therabody), and other brands also have different pneumatic compression therapy operating modes. In the schematic below, compression starts at the foot (zone A) and continues up the leg, one zone at a time.

By promoting better circulation, your muscles get more oxygen and nutrients, which speeds up soreness after a workout.

But it doesn’t stop there. Pneumatic compression therapy also helps flush out waste products like lactic acid—the stuff that builds up after intense exercise and causes muscle soreness. 

And there’s more compression therapy benefits: it reduces inflammation by preventing fluid from building up in your tissues (what’s called edema). 

By applying gentle pressure, it keeps fluid from leaking out of your blood vessels, minimizing swelling and speeding up the healing process.

Can Compression Therapy Help Circulation Issues?

Compression therapy isn’t just for athletes. It’s also a powerful tool for people dealing with circulation issues, like chronic venous insufficiency^​3​ or other conditions that impact blood flow.

If you are wondering how to improve blood flow to feet or suffering from tired, swollen legs, compression therapy provides a non-invasive, effective solution. 

It enhances the body’s natural pumping mechanism by stimulating your calf muscles, which push blood upward and prevent it from accumulating in your legs. By addressing these circulation issues, compression therapy benefits are long-lasting and can help improve your overall comfort and well-being.

Key Compression Therapy Benefits

One of the standout benefits of compression therapy is its ability to boost blood circulation, especially in the legs and feet.

Better Blood Circulation and Improved Flow

One of the standout benefits of compression therapy is its ability to boost blood circulation, especially in the legs and feet.

By applying graduated pressure, compression therapy essentially gives your circulatory system a helping hand. The pressure is strongest at the extremities, like the feet and ankles, and gradually decreases as it moves up the leg. This helps improve venous return, meaning blood is pushed back toward the heart more efficiently, which prevents it from pooling. 

Better circulation also means faster delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscles, speeding up recovery after a tough workout. 

If you’ve ever wondered how to improve circulation in feet, pneumatic compression therapy is one of the most effective methods. It not only helps blood flow but also supports the removal of waste products like lactic acid. 

This is key because lactic acid buildup is a common cause of soreness after workout, making recovery slower and more uncomfortable. 

By flushing out these waste products more quickly, you experience less muscle soreness and fatigue, and your muscles are able to repair themselves faster.

In the long run, this enhanced blood flow and reduced swelling help athletes and fitness enthusiasts maintain peak muscle performance, ensuring quicker recovery times and better endurance for those intense workout sessions.

Reduced Swelling and Inflammation

Compression therapy also shines when it comes to reducing swelling and inflammation, especially after an injury. 

When an injury happens, fluid tends to build up in the surrounding tissues, leading to swelling (Edema) and discomfort. 

Pneumatic compression therapy helps by applying steady pressure, which prevents excess fluid from leaking out of blood vessels and lymphatic channels.

Are you trying to treat swollen ankles? Compression therapy cuts down on swelling and inflammation—two things that slow down healing.

It also boosts circulation, sending oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to the injured area more efficiently. 

This not only speeds up the recovery process but also reduces pain, allowing the injured area to heal faster and get back to normal function.

Faster Muscle Recovery After Workouts

Compression therapy is a game changer for faster muscle recovery after workouts, especially for athletes and fitness enthusiasts who need to stay at their peak. 

Because it boosts circulation and flushes out lactic acid, it reduces muscle soreness and speeds up recovery after intense exercise. This allows athletes to train harder and more often without the usual downtime from fatigue or soreness.

For those who love pushing their limits, quicker recovery means fewer aches and faster returns to performance. 

It also helps avoid overtraining by reducing strain and muscle fatigue, which supports long-term fitness goals. 

The result? More effective workouts and muscles that are better prepared for the next session. This way you can stay consistent and injury-free.

Top 5 Signs You Need Compression Therapy for Recovery

If you’ve been experiencing recurring soreness or sluggish recovery, it might be time to consider compression therapy. 

Let’s break down some common signs that suggest you might need it:

• Persistent Swelling or Edema: This is characterized by swelling in your limbs that doesn’t go away with rest or elevation.
  If swelling sticks around, it might signal fluid retention or poor circulation. Compression therapy applies gentle pressure to move fluid out of affected areas, helping reduce that puffiness and prevent it from building up again.
• Chronic Muscle Fatigue or Soreness: Here, your muscles feel sore or fatigued long after a workout.
  This could mean you’re not recovering as quickly as you should. Compression therapy improves blood flow and helps flush out waste products like lactic acid, speeding up recovery and easing muscle pain.

• Difficulty with Post-Exercise Recovery: This is when recovery seems to drag on, and you struggle to return to your usual activity level after workouts.
  This can affect your overall performance. With compression therapy’s ability to boost circulation and reduce inflammation, you can bounce back faster and stay on track with your fitness goals.
• Post-Surgical or Post-Injury Swelling: The swelling and discomfort after surgery or an injury can take a toll on you.
  It can slow down recovery. Compression therapy can help reduce the swelling and encourage fluid reabsorption, leading to quicker, more efficient healing.
  If any of these signs sound familiar, compression therapy might be worth exploring. However, it’s always a good idea to check with a healthcare professional to ensure it’s right for your specific needs.

• Poor Circulation: You’ll know this when you feel cold, numb, or notice tingling sensations in your feet or hands, or even see varicose veins forming.
  This won’t just make you uncomfortable—it can lead to complications if left untreated. Compression therapy can help improve blood flow, alleviate symptoms, and support better vascular health.
  If you suffer from poor circulation and have been wondering, what helps increase blood flow to your legs and feet? Compression therapy could just be the thing you need. Your healthcare provider could also recommend leg circulation exercises, such as walking and squats, alongside this therapy.  

Compression Therapy for Sports Recovery

Both professional and amateur athletes are increasingly using compression therapy as a way to boost performance and recovery.

Why Athletes Are Turning to Compression?

By improving blood circulation and reducing soreness after workouts, compression helps athletes bounce back faster after intense training sessions, which allows them to train more consistently at a higher level. 

For athletes, it’s not just about post-workout recovery—many use compression garments before competition to increase circulation, warm up their muscles, and lower the risk of injury.

Endurance athletes, like runners and cyclists, especially benefit from compression therapy because it promotes better oxygen delivery to muscles, reducing fatigue during long events. 

For amateurs, the benefits are similar: faster recovery, reduced swelling, and improved muscle readiness.

This means less downtime from muscle soreness or minor injuries and more time pushing through training sessions. Compression therapy has been embraced by seasoned pros and even weekend warriors. This is because it offers a holistic approach that helps improve performance while minimizing interruptions to your routine.

Compression Therapy vs. Traditional Methods

Athletes have long relied on traditional methods like massage therapy and foam rolling to help their bodies recover from intense physical activity. 

These techniques, combined with newer approaches like compression therapy, offer a variety of ways to speed up recovery and maintain peak performance.

∙ Massage Therapy 

Athletes often turn to massage spa to target specific areas of muscle tension, soreness, or injury.

By manually manipulating soft tissues, massage increases blood flow to problem areas, relieves muscle tightness, and helps release adhesions (knots) that form after intense activity.

For many athletes, regular hand massage is essential for maintaining flexibility, reducing stress, and preventing injury. It’s also highly effective for addressing localized pain and stiffness, making it a go-to for deep muscle relief. 

However, you see them looking for ‘massage near me’ on their phones until they find a professional therapist, which can be time-consuming and limit accessibility for some athletes.

∙ Massage Roller / Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is a popular self-massage technique where athletes use a foam roller to apply pressure to tight muscles and fascia (connective tissue). Believe it or not, there is a collapsible foam roller too!

It’s often used as part of a warm-up or cool-down routine to break up adhesions, improve muscle flexibility, and reduce stiffness. 

Foam rolling also helps improve mobility and range of motion, which is crucial for preventing injuries and enhancing athletic performance. 

However, it requires active participation, and for some people, the pressure can be uncomfortable. 

It’s highly effective for targeting specific muscle groups, but less so for improving overall circulation.

Supplements that improve blood flow

Apart from massage and foam rolling, another method that sometimes goes under the radar, is supplements that help with circulation. 

These dietary supplements can play a pivotal role in boosting circulation and recovery. Using the right supplement for better blood flow not only enhances recovery but also helps manage chronic circulation issues.

For instance, omega-3 fatty acids are a popular supplement to help blood flow, known for improving vascular function by promoting blood vessel dilation. Similarly, magnesium aids in relaxing blood vessels, making it an effective way to enhance blood flow to the extremities, such as the feet.

Supplements like L-arginine and Ginkgo Biloba also improve circulation by boosting nitric oxide levels and enhancing vessel flexibility, which is crucial for those looking to increase blood flow and reduce muscle soreness after workouts.

Here’s a comparison table highlighting the key comparisons between traditional recovery methods and compression therapy:

While all these methods can play a role in muscle recovery, compression therapy stands out for its passive, all-around benefits to circulation and recovery, making it an ideal choice for both athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

Final Thoughts: Is Compression Therapy Right for You?

Deciding whether compression therapy is right for you depends on your individual needs and lifestyle. Here are a few aspects to consider.

Aligning with Your Goals

Compression therapy can be particularly beneficial if your objectives include enhancing recovery after workouts, managing chronic pain, or improving circulation. 

Whether you’re an athlete seeking faster recovery or dealing with health conditions like lymphedema^​5​, the key is to identify how compression therapy supports your specific needs.

Integrating Into Your Routine

For compression therapy to be most effective, it needs to be used consistently as part of your regular routine. 

Consider how it can fit into your daily life, especially if you’re an athlete, recovering from surgery, or managing swelling. 

Consistency plays a crucial role in achieving the best results.