Do air compression boots speed up recovery?

Short answer

Not for strength. An analysis that pooled 17 studies with 319 people found no difference in strength or jumping at 24, 48 or 72 hours. Soreness was lower only right after use and at 96 hours, and in trials of 33 and 45 people that compared the boots with a fake device, even that difference was absent. The 20-person fake-controlled trial that found less pain was partly funded by the manufacturer.

Do air compression boots speed up recovery?
'Squeeze and release → better blood flow → faster recovery': does this formula hold?
Leg sleeves with air chambers that squeeze and release from the feet upward are widely used for recovery after exercise. We checked whether the idea of pushing blood around to speed recovery actually leads to faster return of strength.
Does strength come back faster?
No. Across 17 studies there was no difference
A 2024 analysis that pooled 17 studies with 319 people found that muscle strength and jumping after exercise did not differ from no device, either right after use or at 24, 48 and 72 hours. The most common session in the studies lasted 20-30 minutes.
Same after weight training
After 10 sets of squats, no difference at 1 hour or 24 hours
12 people did 10 sets of 10 squats at 70% of their maximum, then used the compression device or simply rested. Thigh strength and jump height did not differ at 1 hour or 24 hours. In a study where 10 people tired their legs mainly with lowering movements, the device also did not prevent the loss of strength.
Energy refill and the next event?
Neither carb storage speed nor 4-minute performance differed
After 10 people used up muscle carbohydrate (glycogen) with a 90-minute ride and rested for 4 hours, the refill rate was 6.9 versus 6.9 with the device switched on or off. When 21 people used it for 30 minutes between a 20-minute race and a 4-minute race, 4-minute performance did not differ.
Soreness was lower at some time points
Less pain right after use and at 96 hours
In the same 2024 analysis, soreness was lower right after using the device and at 96 hours, with no difference at 24, 48 or 72 hours. In a trial where 50 people used the device on one arm only, that arm was less sore for up to 24 hours. The comparison arm received nothing at all.
Compared with a fake device?
Trials of 33 and 45 people found no difference
Only 6 of the 17 studies compared the device with a fake one. In trials of 33 and 45 people that used a fake electrical treatment as the comparison, neither soreness nor strength differed. A 20-person fake-controlled study that did find less pain was partly funded by the manufacturer.
Summary: not a tool that speeds recovery
Strength unchanged, soreness lower only at some time points
Compression boots did not speed the return of strength, jumping or muscle carbohydrate. Soreness was lower right after use and at 96 hours, but trials of 33 and 45 people using a fake device found no difference, and the 20-person trial that found less pain was partly funded by the manufacturer. If you want to use them, the 20-30 minutes most studies used is enough.