Last updated on October 25th, 2023 at 07:59 am
Compression garments are a spandex-type of clothing material that wraps tightly around your body. The material for compression pants, shorts, and leggings is light-weight and made of breathable fabric. In addition to being light-weight, compression garments offer many health benefits when worn. For example, compression leggings can improve the blood circulation back to your heart and protect your legs from hard falls.
A typical NBA regular season is at least 82 games, which does not include playoff games. During the season, players need to perform at their highest level, and compression gear can help. For example, compression leggings can reduce swelling from a hard fall during a game to reducing major leg injuries that can take place from the lack of blood circulation. Anywhere for players to stay on the court without injuries can benefit any team in the league.
The Look is Cool
Players wear compression tights (compression shorts) for a cool look with their basketball uniforms. Basketball players can customize their look on the court to a degree, so wearing tights is a style choice. When you can customize your appearance with your headband, sweatbands, shoes, and more, you can stand out from your teammates. Also, players can have a mental advantage when wearing compression clothing, which can boost their confidence on the basketball court.
Adds a Layer of Protection from Falls
Not only is the material comfortable to wear, but it also protects NBA players from scuffing up their knees when falling during basketball games. Unlike wearing a bulky knee brace that can restrict your movement, compression clothing gives you the freedom to move around without compromising protection. Protection can come from hard falls, nasty burns when sliding on the court, and more.
In addition to protecting your knees from falls, wearing compression garments can prevent deep vein thrombosis. Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that happens in a deep vein in your leg. Besides preventing deep vein thrombosis, you can also reduce swelling, sprains, chafing, and rashes by compression clothing.
Increases the Blood Flow
Wearing compression clothing can promote better blood circulation and increase the amount of oxygen flow through your body. According to the University Hospitals blog post, compression stocking improves blood circulation by squeezing your veins’ leg tissues and walls. By pressing the leg tissues, you can push blood back to the heart.
Help Reduce Muscle Strains and Speed up Recovery
According to the National Library of Medicine, wearing lower-body compressions can lower the chance of muscle soreness. While there was no conclusive study that shows an increase in performance when wearing compression clothing, players can reduce the likelihood of more severe injuries when wearing compression materials. Since NBA players play over 80 games a season, they want to reduce the amount of wear and tear that their bodies will take during the season.
In addition to preventing muscle strains, compression clothing can alleviate physical soreness from micro-tears. Micro-tears take place during training sessions like lifting weights, where your muscles slightly tear to rebuild. Wearing compression clothing can help with the recovery from these training sessions.
Finally, NBA players suffer from muscle fever, better known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), after playing games. Wearing full-length compression clothing can alleviate this psychical soreness. The act of wearing compression clothing is similar to using a cold bath to recover your muscles after working out.
Are There are Cons and Disadvantages to Wearing Compression Clothing?
The primary issue of wearing compression clothing is that it can be uncomfortable for some people. Wearing something tight around your body may make some people uncomfortable if used to wearing loose clothing. Otherwise, you don’t have to worry about any issues about wearing compression clothing.
Conclusion: Why Do Basketball Players Wear Tights
As you can see above, there are many reasons why basketball players wear leggings during games. From the protection that the clothing gives from hard falls to increasing the blood flow, players are using this clothing material more often. In addition to the incredible health benefits that the clothing provides to athletes, it also looks stylish!
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Greg Kristan, owner of The Stadium Reviews, LLC and TM Blast, LLC, brings his extensive experience visiting over half of the MLB ballparks, along with numerous MLS, NHL, NBA, and NFL venues, to provide in-depth coverage on the bag policy, food options, and parking. He has also been interviewed about his experiences on several sports podcasts.