Meniscus Tear Rehabilitation: How Compression Can Relieve Knee Pain

Knee Pain & Meniscus Tears

If you were a strong athlete in high school, continued with athletics in college or university, or even got into athletics later in life, you are probably no stranger to knee pain. Athletes like you go hard... and it’s hard on your body. This makes it even more important to take steps — not just through the park on a morning run — but to protect your knees from  meniscus tears and osteoarthritis.

Injury-prevention measures, such as knee-stabilizing compression pants, can help keep you moving, instead of stuck in the house nursing an injured knee.

Benefits of Athletic Compression for Post-Exercise Recovery

Though most athletes who use compression gear wear it during sporting events, the real benefits of it come during recovery. If your compression pants also provide specialized support and stabilization for your knees, then they’re working overtime for you — during and after your workout.

According to the New York Times,

“Most recent studies indicate that compression sleeves do not boost blood flow through muscles during exercise, probably because the movement of blood when we are exercising is already at its peak."

That, of course, isn’t the full story. Compression clothing was first introduced to patients who needed help to promote circulation to prevent blood from pooling in their extremities, which the clothing did exceptionally well.

Billy Sperlich co-authored a review questioning the performance-enhancement theories about compression gear, published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. He found that compression garments really do appear to significantly aid muscles’ recovery after exercise.

The New York Times went on to explain that

“the garments can augment the movement of blood through muscles after exercising when blood flow would otherwise slow… This increase in circulation may help flush away some of the biochemical byproducts of hard workouts, like lactate… reducing inflammation and muscle aches”

It's often believed that the real advantages of compression gear come down to the placebo effect. Some researchers who question the physical advantages of compression gear for endurance athletes admit that if they make you feel stronger and faster, then they’re providing a tangible benefit to your performance. Dr. Sperlich writes that “[s]ince beliefs are strong performance enhancers, I would recommend compression clothing to persons who believe in the performance-enhancing effect."

While Dr. Sperlich's endorsement of belief itself as a performance enhancer is compelling, it doesn't have to be. A more recent study (2022), published in Scientific Reports, puts the perceived placebo effect of compression gear to the test. The researchers found that not only did the compression gear enhance recovery, but they conclusively ruled out the possibility that the positive results were due to the placebo effect. By improving blood flow, as noted, they found that compression gear used post-exercise aided recovery by limiting muscle damage and decreasing inflammation in impacted joints. 

Common Knee Injuries

Osteoarthritis and meniscus tears are two of the most common knee injuries for middle-aged athletes.

Osteoarthritis, often known as degenerative joint disease or “wear and tear” arthritis, occurs when the cartilage between joints breaks down, leading to pain, stiffness, and swelling. Much of the pain associated with osteoarthritis can be managed with a rigorous quadriceps-strengthening routine, glucosamine, and a knee brace.

A meniscus tear is a rip in the cartilage of your knee. A meniscus tear can happen at any age; however, as you get older, you are more prone to degenerative meniscus tears. Cartilage weakens and wears thin over time, making it more susceptible to tears. For younger athletes, these tears often occur during contact sports. However, later in life, they can be caused by something as simple as an awkward twist, which is one of the reasons that providing extra stabilization to your knees should become a priority.

Luckily, there’s a simple solution for both meniscus tear rehabilitation and soothing osteoarthritis.

Why Knee Supports Work

Don’t let common knee injuries or knee pain keep you on the bench. Taking preventative actions to avoid injury is your best option. However, with certain degenerative issues, it’s understood that you can’t dodge bullets forever. Either way, you should be taking advantage of the support, stability, and protection provided to active and recovering knees by Bracelayer® Compression Pants—available in designs for men and women.

Bracelayer® pants are innovative because in addition to providing the standard moisture-wicking and antimicrobial features associated with most top brands of compression pants, they also come equipped with a stabilizing neoprene brace layer. This brace layer wraps around the knee while also insulating the IT bands, hips, and lumbar area. The stabilizing layer uses lightweight, medical-grade perforated neoprene to provide advanced compression to these areas.

Our pants are designed to allow your customized brace to go over the top of them, providing even more protection. The design also stops the distal migration of your knee brace down your leg and helps prevent skin trauma caused by knee brace straps.

Meniscus Knee Tear Pain: Does Compression Help?

As an athlete, your emotional health and mental health is tied to your physical well-being. Anyone who has been forced away from their daily exercise routine because of a knee injury or knee pain knows the toll it can take on your entire life. Many people find that targeted knee compression, such as that found in Bracelayer knee sleeve compression pants, can reduce the pain caused by meniscus tears. By using compression pants with a built-in knee sleeve, you can protect your body, lessen knee pain, and recover more quickly — all while feeling faster and stronger.