They were the perfect gifts for this injured parkrunner

I have spent enough time in this blog talking about how I have been injured this year and how much I have missed parkrun. Now I thought I should cover one of the lessons that I have learned about my body and the compression gear that I have found that works for me.

My injuries this year started with a hamstring strain which has been followed by a recurring calf strain. For my recent birthday I was lucky enough to get my first ever items of running compression gear. I received both a pair of compression calf guards and some compression shorts, similar to the examples shown below. The compression shorts are very similar to cycling shorts.

Both these items helped me get through a number of weeks of recovery, including a few parkruns and a 26 mile bike ride (on the same day as a parkrun!), without re-injury. My latest injury problems came when I wasn't wearing these items. I think I have learned my lesson as to how valuable these are to me! These compression items are particularly necessary as the morning parkruns turn a little colder and the muscles aren't quite as happy about running.

There are many makes and styles of compression calf guard and shorts available at a range of prices. All I can say is that these items have worked well for me and it will probably be a while before I risk running without them again. Whether the benefits are real or only in my head, for me, they are well worth the price.

I would be very interested to hear how anyone else has got on with compression gear if you have time to share your thoughts.

I haven't yet purchased any compression tights (trouser length), but I suspect they may be on my list sometime in the future. Does anyone out there have an opinion on compression tights? Again I would be very interested to hear.

I suppose I could attempt to explain why or how these items work, but I am not an expert. I could talk about the claims that they are beneficial both during and after a run and that they can even speed up recovery if worn over night. These are all plausible claims, but I don't have that kind of in depth knowledge. All I can really say is that if, like me, you have struggled to recover from recent leg injuries, then this type of item has worked well for me and they may work for you too.

I am certainly not suggesting any particular brand here and this blog post is not a review of the items shown above, these were just the first ones that came up in a quick Amazon search, but at least they show the idea.

If you think that compression gear may be the answer to your own injury woes then please do a little research yourself. All I hope is that compression gear could be the answer for you as I hope it will continue to be for me too.