Compression wear?

[Jakob]

I just picked up a pair of these:

Sport Sox   - Lower Body (Bottoms) - Style - Men's Products

I know a few people who use compression suits and swear by them, but I've been reluctant to try, as I think while it may help, I also feel it's bad to make the body become used to support.
However, more or less chronic calf muscle problems, along with a 50% off retail price deal made me pick up these socks/calf support, with the hope that it'll put less stress on it and aid recovery.

Anyone else got experience with similar products?

[Wendy]

I like compression wear - I have three sets of tights, 2 x skins and 1 x 2xu.  I don't wear them during exercise, but after I get home and shower they go straight on.  I think there's a small but noticeable effect on recovery.

[vorsprung]

Joe Friel has recently blogged about compression clothing

Joe Friel - An Update on Compression Clothing

summary of Joe Friels thoughts: small gain for recovery, no difference during events

[Jakob]

Well, they certainly help to deal with soreness and I can see how they could be useful at long/multi-day events.
Even if there's no real recovery benefits, they do make you more comfortable.

[andygates]

Tights and tops are good for recovery, they mean that you feel fresher the day after if you wear 'em post-training.  Whether "feel fresher" = "perform better" is up for debate   With a heavy training load, it may be the difference between a happy session and a grumpy session, and the headology of stuff like ironman is important.

[Jakob]

I returned to kendo this week after a 4 week layoff, did two days in a row and put the skins on after practice and kept them on overnight. The difference is amazing.  Greatly reduced muscle soreness and very little tightness compared to what I would normally expect.
 In short, they seem to work!

[Bigsybaby]

I have been told to get some compression socks by my Physio, but have not yet seen any!