Getting injured is a nightmare, and when it comes to powerlifting, knee injuries are quite common. It disrupts your at-home life and makes exercising nearly impossible. You may lose your hard-won conditioning. You might gain back the weight you’ve been working so hard to keep off. (Just two weight training sessions a week can reduce your body fat by 7%!) If you rely on gym time to decompress, you may find yourself becoming irritable and frustrated. Let’s take a look at just how knee sleeves help healing post-injury.

Anderson Extreme Knee Sleeves 7mm neoprene on athlete

Reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness

Swelling is your body’s defense mechanism. If you’ve overextended yourself, the pain and swelling signal you to avoid using the injured part to protect it from further injury. The pain and swelling severely limit your range of motion. Knee sleeves compress and warm joints to reduce swelling and stiffness. Since movement has been proven to aid recovery, knee sleeves allow you to perform basic rehabilitation exercises. In turn, these movements further reduce swelling and stiffness.

Increase blood circulation

Knee sleeves compress the site of the injury, which increases blood flow. Because oxygen-rich blood can speed up recovery times, compression is recommended for all twists, sprains, and strains. The more blood flow your injury receives, the more oxygen it receives.

Provide support

Nearly all knee sleeves are made out of a flexible yet durable material, such as elastic rayon or neoprene. These characteristics give your joints stability and support. This lets you stay active throughout the healing process without making the problem worse. Thicker material, such as 7mm neoprene knee sleeves, provides better support. Thinner material, such as 5mm neoprene knee sleeves or woven ones, allows more freedom of movement.

If you injure your knees, remember that knee sleeves help speed up your healing time. Knee sleeves can help you get back on your feet — literally! Plus, wearing knee sleeves helps you reduce risk of injury in the first place. Their added support lets you push yourself harder and lift more weight with less worry. Whatever your preferred brand, be sure to take advantage of this essential powerlifting workout gear — even if your knees are in great shape.