What is Compression Therapy?

Like cryotherapy, compression therapy has been around for decades as a medical treatment. The idea behind compression therapy is that by increasing blood flow to specific parts of the body — encouraging your body to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to those areas — you can speed up recovery, relieve pain and improve athletic performance. 

How Compression Therapy Works

Pulsing
Instead of using static compression (squeezing) to transport fluid out of the limbs, NormaTec® Pulse Technology uses dynamic compression (pulsing). The pulsing action more effectively mimics the muscle pump of the legs and arms, greatly enhancing the movement of fluid and metabolites out of the limbs after an intense workout.

Gradients
Veins and lymphatic vessels have one-way valves that prevent fluid backflow. Similarly, NormaTec® Pulse Technology uses hold pressures to keep fluids from being forced in the wrong direction.

Distal Release
Because extended static pressure can be detrimental to the body’s normal circulatory flow, Sequential Pulse Technology releases the hold pressures once they are no longer needed to prevent backflow.

Benefits of Compression Therapy

The benefits of this recovery method, which are essentially the benefits of improved blood flow, include:

• Reducing swelling and inflammation
• Speeding up muscle recovery
• Preventing delayed-onset muscle soreness
• Relieving muscle pain
• Improving athletic performance
• Increasing flexibility and range of motion
• Removing exercise-related wastes, like lactic acid
• Decreasing muscle fatigue