Football Leg Sleeves

Any football fan has probably noticed in recent years that more players are wearing leg sleeves during game action. Football leg sleeves popularity has grown significantly in recent years due to increasing technology in the design of the sleeves. To fully understand why football players have started wearing the compression leg sleeves, a person needs to understand some basic physiology of the body, the mechanics involved in playing football and how the sleeve meshes the two together.

To begin with the physiology aspect of the human body, our hearts pump blood filled with oxygen to the extremities of our body through our arteries. As the oxygen is utilized by our muscles, the blood is then returned to the heart through our veins to be re-oxygenated and then returned on a continuous cycle. As a body goes through strenuous physical activity, the heart rate rises to pump more oxygenated blood to the limbs of the body. The more oxygenated blood that gets to the body, the better it performs.

A football player puts their body through major physical activity and stresses each and every down on the football field. With each snap of the ball, players run full speed, push out of a three-point stance with their calf muscles and often jump, twist and bend. These activities are repeated play after play, often with little time to recover between downs or time off the field.

The design of a leg compression sleeve makes it tighter around the lower part of the leg nearest the foot and it gradually decreases in tightness moving up the calf. This enables blood flow to fight the effects of gravity by assisting the body so shoot un-oxygenated blood back up to the heart. By dilating the arteries, leg sleeves increase blood flow and supply more oxygen to the muscles.

To piece it all together, leg sleeves football popularity has increased as gridiron warriors are benefitting from enhanced performance on the field by wearing them. The increase in blood flow that players are receiving while on the field is leading to less fatigue during game time moments. Lessening fatigue increases the player’s productions, whether it be touchdowns, tackles or blocks. Players are also benefitting from the sleeves with quicker muscle recovery, both in the game and following games, which puts them back in the action at 100%. The final benefit from the leg sleeve is decreased muscle soreness after the game action.

In the game of football, players are ultimately measured on their performance. Due to the increased performance that a leg compression sleeve can provide to a player, it is no wonder why their popularity has skyrocketed.