We’re pretty open about how much time we spend in compression pants. It’s a simple, non invasive practice that really provides us relief from our POTS symptoms.
A quick recap: We both have a disorder called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). This dysfunction of our autonomic system gives us high heart rate, low blood pressure, muscle pain, poor circulation, swelling, and blood pooling when we’re vertical.
Compression pants do a good job of combating a lot of these symptoms but on my latest rheumatologist appointment via zoom, I explained to my doctor my frustration that I wasn’t able to get all of it under control. I asked if there was anything else slightly more aggressive than what I was already doing and this is when he told me to look into getting a compression machine.
I’m always extremely eager to help my body feel it’s best without any extra medication (we’re already on our fair share) so as soon as I heard about a device that might provide some relief, I got to one of my favorite weird hobbies- researching products before I buy them. I’d rather say just “researching products before I try them.
I was completely new to compression machines before I started the research, but it only took me a few minutes into my journey to question, “How come I never knew about this before? It sounds so perfect for someone with my symptoms!”.
Benefits of a compression machine:
Decreases edema (swelling!)
Speeds up muscle recovery
Prevents delayed-onset muscle soreness/relieves muscle pain
Increases circulation
Helps avoid the appearance of cellulite
Enhances lymphatic flow
Breaks up lactic acid
Decreases muscle fatigue.
Eliminates toxins
Prevents venous insufficiency
What exactly is a compression machine?
It’s a device that fills up with air creating intermittent rhythmic contractions that put strong pressure on the body. What this does is boosts blood circulation and keeps the lymphatic system moving, which further aids in getting rid of metabolic waste.
These machines are usually targeted towards athletes because the compression speeds up the body’s muscle recovery by breaking up lactic acid, which builds up after intense workouts.
After a LOT of research about all the compression machine devices out there, we decided to go with Rabid Reboot. Their device is top of the line, has a full body compression option, which we went with (includes legs, arms, and hips) and is super quiet. This was a weirdly important qualifier for us because most likely we’ll be watching some sort of movie or show while we use the device (let’s be honest). Since receiving the Rabid Reboot compression machine, we’ve used it every day for at least one 30 minute session, but many days we’ve used it multiple times a day. It honestly just feels really good on our muscles and we are here for anything that helps our circulation! We’ll keep you posted on our progress with symptoms and overall thoughts on the device, but so far we’re pretty obsessed with it.
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