A compression shrug is a garment that fits over the neck and traps air in pockets, creating pressure against the muscles. The pressure squeezes blood vessels close to the skin’s surface, which helps increase local blood circulation. This form of therapy is called “external counterpulsation” (ECP) or “compression therapy.” According to Dr. Paul R. Shipley, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Complementary Medicine Program, many people with MS experience some degree of pain relief with ECP treatment.
How Does It Work?
When you compress your arms or legs, you’re increasing their volume by trapping air between your skin and an outer shell. As a result, the shell presses inward on all sides, squeezing blood out of small capillaries toward the heart and helping the blood flow more quickly through larger vessels. The effects aren’t permanent, though: eventually trapped gas re-equilibrates inside and outside the limb, and your arms and legs return to their original size.
A similar process takes place in a compression shrug designed for people with multiple sclerosis. Pockets of air are trapped between the garment’s inner surface and your skin. This increases pressure on surrounding tissues, squeezing blood out of capillaries toward the heart, boosting circulation to an area that may have experienced damage due to MS or its treatment. That may increase blood flow just enough to ease related stiffness, fatigue, or pain—but it won’t cure your condition because you’re not treating what caused the damage.
Compression garments may be helpful for many people with multiple sclerosis (MS), especially those who suffer from muscle spasms or fatigue. Other symptoms that can be relieved by compression therapy include tingling, numbness, bladder problems, sexual dysfunction, and pain due to nerve damage. But it’s important to understand you won’t experience any of these benefits during your initial visit—only after regular use of the garment has led to improved circulation over time.
If you’ve had an exacerbation or are dealing with new-onset MS-related issues, seek immediate medical attention. The effectiveness of compression therapy in treating acute attacks remains unproven–and you’ll need to find out why your symptoms have worsened.
What Are the Advantages?
So far, no one has explained exactly how a compression garment helps relieve MS symptoms. But physicians know the method works–and that it isn’t harmful, either. Compression garments can be worn during physical activity and don’t require constant care or supervision by a caregiver–two major advantages over other forms of therapy. Many people also say they feel better when wearing their garment because it’s so snug-fitting and supportive. However, some men give up on ECP treatment because they find the bulky garments uncomfortable; compression shrugs are proportioned for both sexes and designed to fit under regular clothing without bulging.
