polymers Review Compression Garments for Medical Therapy and Sports Ying Xiong 1 and Xiaoming Tao 1,2,* 1 Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, China;
[email protected] 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, China * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +852-2766-6470 Received: 14 May 2018; Accepted: 12 June 2018; Published: 14 June 2018 Abstract: Compression garments are elastic clothing with an engineered compression gradient that can be worn on limbs, upper, lower, or full body to use for therapy and sports. This article presents an overview and review on the compression garments and concentrates on the design of compression garments with an appropriate pressure for specific applications. It covers the types of compression garments, fibers and yarns, knitted fabric construction, garment design, an evaluation system, and pressure measurement and modeling. The material properties, fabric properties, pressure modeling, and the garment design system presents the prediction, design, and fabrication of the compression garments. Lastly, the research status and directions are discussed. Keywords: compression garment; pressure therapy; sportswear; material; knitting; design; modeling 1. Introduction Compression garments are special clothing containing elastomeric fibers and yarns used to apply substantial mechanical pressure on the surface of needed body zones for stabilizing, compressing, and supporting underlying tissues [1]. They have been widely researched and utilized in the fields of medical applications, athletic applications, and body-shaping applications [2]. The first mention of compression therapy appeared in the Corpus Hippocraticum (450–350 BC) [3].