The Effects of Compression Sleeves on the Lactate Clearance Rate in Athletes After a 400 Meter Sprint
Jack Lipa and Nathalie Morales
Department of Biological Science
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
This study investigated the physiological effects of compression sleeves on recovery after performing a 400 meter sprint. This experiment tested the hypothesis that wearing compression sleeves will increase the bLa removal rate following a 400 meter sprint. Nine subjects (six male and three female) mean age 22.88 ±.54 years completed a paired test running 400 meters with and without wearing compression calf sleeves. Subjects’ bLa levels and pulse oxygen saturation were observed at various intervals (before exercise, immediately following event, five minutes after event, twenty, forty, and sixty minutes after event)[P1]. A rate of -0.157 ±0.0320 mmol/(L x min) lactate removal when wearing compression sleeves compared to a rate -0.193 ±0.0228 mmol/(L x min) without compression sleeves was found. A one-tailed, paired t-test analysis was performed. There is no statistical difference (p > 0.05). Blood oxygen saturation percentages were unaffected with percentages of 97.6 ± 0.194 with compression sleeves and 97.6 ± 0.05 without compression sleeves (p > 0.05). Because of our results, the hypothesis that wearing compression sleeves will increase bLa removal rate after a 400 meter sprint is rejected.
Introduction
Most competitive athletes seek to find different methods to improve performance and give them a slight advantage over their opponents. Recently, the popularity of wearing compression garments in the athletic community has increased in the belief that it aids in performance by protecting the athlete, preventing swelling, giving them warmth, increasing circulation and adding to their intimidation factor. Compression garments have demonstrated minimal improvements during repeated performances at high speeds in netball with slightly greater distances traveled at higher speeds (Higgins 2009). This experiment tested the physiological changes that occur when an athlete (someone who works out 3 or more times a week) wears the compression sleeve on their lower extremities. Neoprene sleeves help maintain intramuscular temperatures after exercise (Miller 2013). This can help provide a cool-down period for the muscles that should be accompanied by rigorous workout. Compression garments can have the effect of providing higher local temperatures without affecting overall body temperature (Macrae 2012). This can potentially be helpful for athletes with injuries without the adverse effect of overheating. The specific location of the compression garment can slightly affect where these benefits are applied so any garment would likely need to be specific to the individual athlete (Vanek 1998). Compression garments worn on the calf appear to have a slight benefit in increasing venous return and thus may aid in the recovery process (Bringard 2006). In addition, some athletes swear by compression garments’ ability to reduce fatigue and at the very least appears to offer a psychological benefit (by means ofplacebo effect) if worn by someone convinced of its effectiveness irrespective of any physiological changes. The placebo effect appears to be significant in both positive and negative outcomes. (Beedie 2009). Peak levels of lactate should be observable at approximately five minutes following “all-out” exercise lasting 30-120 seconds[P2]. Blood lactate (bLa) levels is a common parameter to observe in regards to performance exercise (Goodwin 2007). Based on previous studies, it seems reasonable to test the hypothesis that wearing compression sleeves around the calves will increase bLa removal rate, aiding in recovery following a 400 meter sprint.
Materials and Methods[P3]
Measurements and Analysis
Blood lactate concentrations were obtained by capillary prick of the medial side at the tip of the third and/or fourth fingers. Lactate Scout electronic lactate reader was used as the analytical device. Lactate levels were read in millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Additionally, oxygen saturation was measured at the same intervals utilizing a portable pulse oximetry device (brand unknown) which read the results in Sp O2 %. Measurement of Sp O2 % served as a negative control.
A paired, one-tailed T-test data analysis was performed via Windows 7 Excel. Blood lactate clearance rate was calculated by taking the difference of the highest peak value and return to the approximate basal value at T60 divided by the difference of the time of the peak and 60 minutes (mmol/ L x min). Clearance rate =(highest peak value - T60) / (time of peak relative to the end of the sprint -60).
Garments and Environment
McDavid brand latex-free neoprene compression calf sleeves measuring medium (14-15 inch) circumference or large (15-17 inch) circumference worn on each leg during the experimental condition. Subjects wore athletic shorts, running shoes and athletic shirts in both the control and experimental conditions. Weather conditions (ranging from sunny to cloudy with little to no wind) and ambient temperature (range of 64-76 degrees Fahrenheit) were recorded using Android Google Application. Time of testing was variable (between the hours of 2:00pm-6:45pm). Subjects were tested in the afternoon in order to control for any time of day effects that may have on athletic performance. Sites of the experiment included the tracks of Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA and Katella High School in Anaheim, CA as they provided a pre-measured distance under favorable and consistent running conditions. Environmental conditions were subject to the convenience and the availability of the participants.
Running Performance and Participants
To determine whether recovery rate is increased, bLa were measured at rest before any activity (basal state). Prior to the final sprint, athletes were instructed to complete a structured warm up consisting of a 4 minute jog accompanied by leg stretches in order to prevent injury and ensure optimal performance. Subjects were asked to run 400 meters around an outdoor track at maximal, “all out,” effort (as fast as subjects were able). Lactate levels were again measured immediately after the sprint (T0), five minutes after the sprint (T5), twenty minutes after the sprint (T20), 40 minutes after the sprint (T40), and 60 minutes after the sprint (T60). This process was performed twice: once with the compression sleeve and on a separate day without.
Three females and six male athletes volunteered to participate in the study with the mean age of 22.88 ±0.539 years. Athletes were the population of interest since they would most likely utilize and benefit from the use of compression sleeves. Athletes were defined as individuals who perform moderate to extreme exercise for thirty minutes or more a day, three or more days a week. [P4]Sprint focused athletes would be desirable. However, a broader category of athlete was selected because it made the process of obtaining subjects easier given the time constraints of completing the experiment (n=9). [P5]
Results
Blood lactate concentration is the most common analyte in regards to monitoring an athlete’s recovery. The bLa levels declined at the average rate of -0.157 ±0.0320 mmol/(L x min) when the athletes wore the compression sleeve. In comparison, when athletes did not wear the compression sleeve, bLa levels declined at the average rate of -0.193 ±0.0228 mmol/(L x min). The paired, one-tailed T-test analysis shows no statistical difference (p-value = 0.223) (Figure 1).[P6]
There was no statistical difference in the blood oxygen saturation of the athletes throughout the trial. The average blood oxygen saturation percentage of all the athletes were measured to be 97.6 ± 0.194 with the sleeves on, which is virtually the same percentage when measured without the sleeves 97.6 ± 0.05 (Figure 2). Normal blood oxygen saturation range is between 95-100%. Anything below 90% is considered low and indicative of hypoxemia.
Figure 1[P7].Blood lactate clearance rate showed in milimoles per liter per minute[P8]. There is no statistical significance between the average rate of clearance with or without the compression sleeve. (p-value=.223 ±SEM).[P9][P10][P11]
Figure 2[P12]Oxygen saturation measured in Sp O2 % during recovery with and without compression sleeves scatter plot with a line of best fit overlap (p-value =0.364). [P13]
Discussion
The present study evaluated the effects of lower extremity compression garments in an athlete’s recovery following an “all out” 400 meter sprint[P14]. There was no physiological changes in bLa clearance rate and blood oxygen saturation discovered as the result of the experiment. The assumption of a direct relationship between the clearance rate and the recovery rate of an athlete is rejected based on the p-value score of 0.223 (p-value > 0.05). However, this result was consistent with the literature of a similar study investigating the effects of compression garments on physiological and performance measures in netball players (Higgins 2009). In addition, another study on twelve well-trained cyclists demonstrated limited physiological benefits on twelve male subjects (Scanlan 2008). There is a trend of increased clearance rate, but not a significant difference.
The medical community has accepted the high levels of bLa concentrations to be the hallmark of O2 insufficiency (Mizock 1992). O2 insufficiency can result in the decreased O2 venous pressure (PO2) resulting in O2 -limited oxidative phosphorylation (Gladden 2004). Because of the evidence of increased blood flow when using compression garments for medical purposes, it is assumed that the increased PO2 would lead to the increased oxygen utilization in cell respiration during exercise. As the muscles undergo cellular respiration, blood PO2 decreases and thereby limiting the O2-dependent oxidative phosphorylation, producing lactate. Increased production of lactate due to O2 -limited oxidative phosphorylation is termed as dysoxia (Gladden 2004). For the purposes of this experiment, measuring pulse O2 saturation served as a negative control. No changes were observed but also none were expected. Increased bLa production was believed to be the culprit for muscle fatigue and soreness. Lactic acid (HLa) is 99% dissociated at physiological pH, producing lactate anion (La-) and protons (H+) (Fittz 2003). As HLa dissociates, it is concluded that a decrease in pH would follow because of the efflux of H+, especially in physiological conditions during and after exercise. This low intramuscular pH is known as muscle acidosis, causing fatigue. However, the presence of the lactate anion (La-) does little to alter the overall physiological pH (Stewart 1981). The overall acid-base status of an individual depends on many other factors such as weak acid buffer concentrations, like bicarbonate, and the strong ion difference (SID). SID is the difference of the sum of all the strong cations and the sum of all the strong anion. [SID]= ([Na+] + [K+] + [Ca2+]) − ([Cl−] + [La−])(Kowalchuk 1988). Previous studies showed that La− has little effect on muscle contractility in skinned mammalian muscles (5% or less).Furthermore, this is supported by other studies on skinned muscles fibers, showing a minimal role of La− in the fatigue process (Posterino 2001). In conclusion, HLadoes play a role in muscle acidosis but it is not significant because of the acid-base buffer systems in the body that easily corrects the imbalance.
Even though there is no certain lactate metabolism pathway, none of the proposed mechanisms include oxygen consumption in converting lactate to pyruvate. In summation, all mechanisms relied upon the use of an intracellular lactate shuttle and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to convert lactate into pyruvate by oxidation of NADH and transported from the cytosol to the mitochondria (Gladden 2004). Oxygen is obsolete in this process. Cardiac muscle is the most active muscle type in bLa uptake as it is the most oxidative tissue type, even compared to skeletal muscle (Gladden 2004). The previous studies showed an inverse relationship between bLa metabolism and glycolytic metabolism as a result in lactate successfully competing against glucose as a carbohydrate source (Miller 2004). In an evolutionary standpoint, this is an adaptation to conserve a major energy source while being efficient in “recycling” of what was once thought of as an metabolic dead end.
One of the limitations of the study was the relatively small sample size (n=9).[P15] Although there appeared to be a reduced peak level of bLa under the experimental condition, this was statistically insignificant because of the sparse number of blood draws around the peak. Further studies may focus on variances among peak lactate levels and include shorter and more frequent time intervals of lactate tests between 3-8 minutes after sprint when lactate levels are greatest following 30-120 seconds of intense exercise (Goodwin 2007). Further investigation could possibly control for variances in lactate production by selecting sprint specific athletes that would have a greater proportion of type IIb muscle fibers (fast glycolytic cells) and thus a greater anaerobic capacity compared to the varied athletic background selected (Teh 2014). Since lactate production represents a distinct metabolic pathway rather than simply occurring in the absence of oxygen, athletes with developed anaerobic utilization pathways would be more relevant for the event selected (Gladden 2004). This should produce a larger peak in bLa levels and thus any variances could be more pronounced. Since the liver is largely responsible for clearing lactate and its ability to do so is inversely related to bLa concentration levels, a reduced peak could hypothetically translate into increased performance (Moxne 2012).
Another limitation in this study is a lack of a controlled environment. Weather conditions and time of tests were variable, subjective to the convenience of the participants. Ambient temperature average was 68.25 ±1.463 degrees Fahrenheit. Future studies could utilize a treadmill indoors and control for climatic conditions. [P16]
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Review Form
Department of Biological Sciences
SaddlebackCollege, Mission Viejo, CA92692
Author (s): Jack Lipa and Nathalie Morales
Title:The Effects of Compression Sleeves on the Lactate Clearance Rate in Athletes After a 400 Meter Sprint
Summary
Summarize the paper succinctly and dispassionately. Do not criticize here, just show that you understood the paper.
The experimenters studied the effect of compression sleeves on athletes. To do this, the experimenters measured subject blood lactate levels at different times during an exercise (400 meter sprint). Subjects were athletic which was defined as people who exercise for thirty minutes or more a day, three or more days a week. The results of the experiment did not show statistical difference in blood oxygen saturation. The experimenters attribute these results partially to the limited subject sample size and the running environment. Discussion section looks into medical sources/journals regarding the subject and comparison with similar experiments. Also in the discussion section is factors that play a part in exercise including lactic acid dissociation, buffer concentrations, and ionic differences.
General Comments
Generally explain the paper’s strengths and weaknesses and whether they are serious, or important to our current state of knowledge.
Strengths: Obvious knowledge/investigation in subject matter
Weaknesses: Word choice selection in various parts of the paper as well as some instances that may undermine the group later (shooting self in foot). Also, review of figures and figure captions needed
Overall, the experimenters were serious about the subject matter and did a satisfactory job of explaining the process through the paper.
Technical Criticism
Review technical issues, organization and clarity. Provide a table of typographical errors, grammatical errors, and minor textual problems. It's not the reviewer's job to copy Edit the paper, mark the manuscript.
This paper was a final versionThis paper was a rough draft