Our unique craftsmanship sets us apart from other products on the market. With us you will find your rubber pants that you have always wished for. News about our Dezeen Awards programme, including entry deadlines and announcements. Plus occasional updates. Dezeen Events Guide A study on lactate responses of the product hinted at a paradoxical response to repeated use, but a muscle oxygenation study done recently is interesting because it showed that pneumatic compression may increase the sequential and tissue oxygenation of limbs. The hypothesis was that compression may impair blood flow, but the studies of more medically driven products not only proved higher Doppler readings, but that it could actually increase angiogenesis. Zhang C, Liu X, Wang X, Wang Q, Zhang Y, Ge Z. Efficacy of enhanced external counterpulsation in patients with chronic refractory angina on Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) angina class: an updated meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015;94(47):e2002. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000002002

Both Channapatna and latex have a very distinctive appeal. Nobody expects wearable pieces from Channapatna, as the craft is generally applied to toys and similar products. By reinterpreting it through fashion I wanted to make the material dynamic, flexible and more relevant to a luxury market." I wrote about compression science a few years ago in a very short article, but additional research is now available. A major disconnect exists with research on NormaTec, mainly because nearly every study expects to see a restoration of performance after a treatment—something you will likely never see with any intervention, really. Time, nutrition, and sleep seem to be the big players with recovery, and modalities only provide a light influence on the process of recovery.Overall, I am happy with the NormaTec system, and it has come a long way over the last two decades. Its updated refinements are a shining example of product development and leadership, and it’s the best product on the market for recovery. More medical solutions exist for the treatment of injuries or even trauma, but equipment like FlowDyn and Game Ready are specialized for sports medicine purposes, not consumer purposes. If you have the money for the training recovery space, don’t buy on price—invest in the value of the system. Why I Chose NormaTec If you read the “ Buyer’s Guide on Pneumatic Compression Systems,” you should still read this, as I share a different take on the engineering and science. Pneumatic compression simply uses air to create a squeezing effect to limbs to help with circulation, but it’s not as effective as our own natural biological systems. We can 3D print a heart or put someone in the ICU with a breathing apparatus, but synthetic solutions always seem to pale in comparison to the real thing. But this also means that the material remains biodegradable and will eventually return to its natural form, meaning zero waste or harm to the planet." Photograph is by Ray Chung CSM's Fredrik Tjærandsen enveloped models in rubber balloons, while University of Westminster student San Kim drew on Freudian theory for a collection of bulbous, air-filled garments.

Perhaps the most interesting and deepest set of investigations, down to the molecular level, was the study on cellular signaling after intense resistance training. I recommend starting with the aforementioned study and actually reading it a few times. The science is heavy, but I believe it’s the direction we need for the pneumatic space to mature.A number of other graduate designers have recently experimented with inflatable fashion – albeit not in latex. While it’s likely that you have heard of the NormaTec recovery system, if you are unfamiliar with it, this is probably the most comprehensive review of the product you’ll find, period. I cover all the details of pneumatic compression, so you know if the solution is right for you and, specifically, if the product is a good fit. I have extensive experience with the compression market and have done countless tests to see which products perform. The science is still new in regard to sports performance, but based on a handful of studies, we do know that some limitations exist. Raza A, Steinberg K, Tartaglia J, Frishman WH, Gupta T. Enhanced external counterpulsation therapy: past, present, and future. Cardiol Rev. 2017;25(2):59-67. doi:10.1097/CRD.0000000000000122.