Do Knee Sleeves Work? Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Running Injury Prevention Do Knee Sleeves Work? By Ashley Macha Updated on September 06, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Erin Pereira, PT, DPT Medically reviewed by Erin Pereira, PT, DPT Erin Pereira, PT, DPT, is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Getty Images / FreshSplash Table of Contents View All Table of Contents What Is a Knee Sleeve Using a Knee Sleeve When to Seek Additional Care If you live an active lifestyle, minor pains are somewhat inevitable. That's just part of physical exercise! But that doesn't mean you have to live with any aches or pains that come along. One of the most common pains athletes and gym-goers alike experience is knee pain. The big culprits of knee pain include running, hiking, jumpings, squatting, and lunges. You might experience injury from these movements, or pain may also be caused by biomechanical issues (the function and motion of the knee), wear-and-tear over time, or even arthritis. Knee issues vary in level of seriousness, but for minor issues, small precautions can go a long way. One popular remedy many athletes often turn to for help? A knee sleeve. What Is a Knee Sleeve A knee sleeve is a supportive fabric that slides onto your leg and over your knee to provide support to your knee and surrounding joints. Knee sleeves can come in many different sizes and thicknesses, and they can typically fit under clothing. When purchasing a knee sleeve, it’s important to keep in mind the tightness of compression. It should feel supportive, but not too tight or restricting, which can limit your range of motion, putting more strain on your joints. Compression from the sleeves can improve blood flow and oxygen to the muscle tissues in the injured area, which promotes a speedy and efficient recovery time. It may also help reduce swelling around the knee. You might also come across knee braces in your search for the perfect sleeve. Knee braces are more structurally sound and provide more support, but they can also be more cumbersome. Keep this in mind as you choose which style of knee support is right for you. When Should You Use a Knee Sleeve Any activity that poses added resistance, such as strength training or running, to your knee can warrant the use of a knee sleeve. In addition, runners who wear compression sleeves may improve their performance output due to improved running economy and biomechanical variables. They may also benefit from reduced muscle pain and inflammation. The frequency in which you use a knee sleeve will be different depending on the type of pain or injury you're experiencing. A good first step is to experiment with wearing a knee sleeve—see how it feels as you move. It may feel odd at first, but your body will soon grow accustomed to exercising with the added support. The Best Knee Support Products, And How To Use Them When to Seek Additional Care If your knee is inflamed or sore in an acute capacity and you’re looking for added support during squats or on a run, a knee sleeve may come in handy. It's also common for individuals to wear a knee compression sleeve as they recover from a difficult procedure like ACL surgery. If knee pain is persistent and/or worsens, reach out to an orthopedic specialist. They might recommend that you get a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to further investigate the issue. A Word From Verywell The knees are one of the most easily injured joints in the body, so it’s good to have a knee compression sleeve on hand if you are prone to knee injury or are active in exercises that place a higher impact on your knee joints. While these sleeves can be an excellent resource to keep your knees secure, but they do not always solve pains or issues you may be experiencing. Speak to a health care professional if you have any questions about your physical health or if knee pain persists. The 11 Best Knee Sleeves and Braces of 2022 5 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Joint pain: symptoms, causes, and treatment. Cleveland Clinic. 2018. Cudejko T, van der Esch M, van der Leeden M, et al. The immediate effect of a soft knee brace on pain, activity limitations, self-reported knee instability, and self-reported knee confidence in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2017;19:260. doi:10.1186/s13075-017-1456-0 Coza A, Dunn J, Anderson B, Nigg B. Effects of Compression on Muscle Tissue Oxygenation at the Onset of Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e318254885b Engel FA, Holmberg H-C, Sperlich B. Is there evidence that runners can benefit from wearing compression clothing? Sports Med. 2016;46(12):1939-1952. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0546-5 Kuster MS, Grob K, Kuster M, Wood GA, Gächter A. The benefits of wearing a compression sleeve after ACL reconstruction. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999;31(3):368-371. doi:10.1097/00005768-199903000-00003. Additional Reading Coza, A., Dunn, J. F., Anderson, B., & Nigg, B. M. (2012). Effects of compression on muscle tissue oxygenation at the onset of exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(6), 1631–1637. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318254885b Cudejko, T., van der Esch, M., van der Leeden, M., van den Noort, J. C., Roorda, L. D., Lems, W., Twisk, J., Steultjens, M., Woodburn, J., Harlaar, J., & Dekker, J. (2017). The immediate effect of a soft knee brace on pain, activity limitations, self-reported knee instability, and self-reported knee confidence in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-017-1456-0 Engel, F. A., Holmberg, H.-C., & Sperlich, B. (2016). Is there evidence that runners can benefit from wearing compression clothing? Sports Medicine, 46(12), 1939–1952. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0546-5 Mohd Sharif, N. A., Goh, S.-L., Usman, J., & Wan Safwani, W. K. (2017). Biomechanical and functional efficacy of knee sleeves: A literature review. Physical Therapyin Sport, 28, 44–52.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2017.05.001 See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Related Articles The 11 Best Knee Sleeves and Braces of 2022 The Best Knee Support Products, And How To Use Them 9 Best Knee Braces for Meniscus Tears and What to Look for The 8 Best Tennis Elbow Braces of 2022 The 11 Best Calf Compression Sleeves of 2022 Running and Your Aging Knees Running Gear 101: Gear Every Runner Needs, According to Experts Keep Moving When You Have Arthritis and Other Types of Knee Pain The Best Exercises for Activating Your Butt The 13 Best Ankle Braces for Basketball of 2022 The Best Rash Guards of 2022, According to a Surfing Instructor How to Treat and Prevent Shin Splint Pain The 11 Best Running Shoes for Bad Knees of 2022 7 Essential Hip Flexor Stretches Why Properly Fitting Your Bike Is Important How long would it take you to do a mile's worth of burpees? When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All