What Are Compression Arm Sleeves Used For

Like all compression gear, there are different varieties of arms sleeves available on the market. Each of these arm sleeves provide their own unique set of benefits to help athletes improve performance in their sport. 

In this article we discuss the different types of arm sleeves available to you and what are the most significant benefits they provide, hopefully this article can help you determine which of these arm sleeves suit your sport and if you should start using one.

 What are compression arm sleeves and what are they used for.

 The main purpose of an arm sleeve is to provide compression for your arm muscles during sports. They compress the muscles and allow for more blood to reach them, this keeps your muscles warm and raring to go even after long intermissions.

Types of arm sleeves and their benefits.

There are a two main types of arm sleeves available on the market, some providing additional protection on top of their main purpose which is compression.

1.Standard Compression Sleeve

Perhaps the most popular type of arm sleeve used by athletes of all levels, and for good reason. Most of these standard arm sleeves provide good compression for your muscles along with added elbow joint support, this makes them a fantastic choice for a large variety of sports. 

Benefits:

• Muscle Compression. The standard arm sleeves provide muscles compression helping to optimize blood flow to your arm and regulate your body temperature, this prevents muscle cramps and improves muscles response.
• Elbow Support. They provide additional support for your elbow joints improving range of motion and reduces the wear and tear your elbow joints suffer in the long run.
• Helps muscle recovery. Especially important for athletes who play their sport frequently, this arm sleeves helps muscles recover from fatigue and reduces lactic acid build up so they remain fresh and perform at their peak in the games to come.

Good for:

• Basketball
• Badminton
• Netball
• Tennis

If you are looking for a quality standard arm sleeve, we recommend you check out the Rigorer Compression Arm Sleeve [CS005]. It provides excellent muscle compression, joint support and is made from all natural materials making it suitable for athletes with sensitive skin.   

2. Arm sleeves with built in elbow pads.

Some athletes who partake in more contact heavy sports might prefer more protection than the standard arm sleeves can offer.

These athletes usually opt for a padded arm sleeves, they perform similarly to the standard arm sleeve but offer more arm protection and support but slightly reduce your elbow's range of motion due to their design.

Benefits:

• Elbow pads. While still serving their main purpose which is muscle compression, these arm sleeves come with elbow pads for that added elbow protection and extra shock absorption.
• Elbow Support. These arm sleeves often come with enhanced support for your elbow joints at the cost of some range of motion. But they are arguably more effective in preserving long term elbow health.
• Protection against skin injuries. They are generally made to be thicker and more durable than the standard arm sleeve, this makes them fantastic in reducing the amount of cuts and bruises you might otherwise receive while playing.

Good for:

• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Rugby
• Floorball

If you are looking for a high quality arm sleeve that checks all these boxes, we recommend the Rigorer Upgraded Padded Arm Sleeve [PA307]. It provides fantastic protection and superior comfort to have you performing at your best at all times.

Conclusion

To sum things up, are arm sleeves really a requirement to excel at your sport? Really the choice is yours, while they might not be compulsory to have but they undeniably offer a range of competitive advantages as well as health benefits for your arms and elbows.  

The only way to know is to try them out for yourself, many athletes start off on the fence but now can't go a game without using an arm sleeve. Ultimately, additional benefits are never a bad thing!

 Even if you do not fully buy in to the health benefits many athletes claim arm sleeves provide, but one thing you can't deny is that they definitely look good!