What should you know about compression garments in sport?

They can feel supportive, reduce unwanted movement and help some people manage limb swelling. They do not replace warm-ups, gradual training, hydration or recovery. A general sports garment is also different from a medical garment prescribed after cancer treatment.

Stretch fabric applies pressure around the covered area. The sensation may improve body awareness and limit fabric or soft-tissue movement, while medically selected compression can support fluid movement in a swollen limb. The effect depends on garment pressure, shape, fit and the reason it is being worn.

After lymph-node surgery, radiotherapy or treatment-related swelling, exercise plans and compression choices may need tailoring. Sports sleeves or tights should not be assumed to provide the same pressure pattern as a fitted medical garment.

Choose the size using the maker's measurements or a clinician's fitting advice. The garment should lie smoothly without rolling, digging in or creating a tight band. Test it during gentle activity before using it for a longer or more demanding session.

Check the skin before putting it on and again after exercise. Remove it if you develop numbness, tingling, unusual coldness, colour change, increasing pain or worsening swelling. Keep the fabric clean and dry, and replace a stretched, damaged or misshapen garment because its pressure may become uneven.

Stop exercising and remove the garment if it causes marked pain, loss of sensation, a pale or blue limb, or rapidly increasing swelling. Seek urgent medical assessment for sudden one-sided limb swelling, chest pain, breathlessness, faintness, or a limb that becomes cold and difficult to move.

Contact your cancer or rehabilitation team promptly if swelling is new, the skin is red or hot, there is a wound or infection, or a previously comfortable garment no longer fits. Do not put compression over broken or infected skin unless your treating clinician has specifically advised it.

Ask whether your surgery, lymph-node treatment, circulation, nerve symptoms or skin condition changes the type of compression you can use. If you have lymphoedema, ask whether the garment should be worn during your chosen sport, how its fit should be checked, and what change in swelling should end the session.