How to Make a Sports Compression Sleeve

Athletes wear sports compression sleeves to heal injuries and protect themselves from new ones. The sleeves help recovery by increasing blood flow to the area under compression, and they keep muscles warm and less prone to pulls and strains during exertion. Compression sleeves come in different shapes and sizes depending on your body type and where you wear the sleeve, but you can make your own when a store-bought sleeve is unavailable.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pair pantyhose or tights
• Scissors

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Instructions

• 1

  Decide what length compression sleeve you need. If it is for your calf, about a foot should do, while you may want a few feet for a pulled hamstring or quadriceps.

• 2

  Cut the toes off of two sets of pantyhose or tights with scissors. Support hose work better than normal pantyhose because they are tighter.

• 3

  Cut the lower legs off of the panty hose at a length that will cover the affected muscle.

• 4

  Slide the sleeves from the thinner or looser pair of hose over the muscle first. Position the ankle part of the hose over the most problematic area. The ankle is tighter than the rest of the hose and will offer the best support.

• 5

  Slip the tighter pair of sleeves over the first, again keeping the ankle section around the area that most needs compression.