Active compression helps to combat this by aiding blood circulation through using external pneumatic compression. This effectively pumps blood towards the heart, reducing intramuscular space available for swelling and helping to promote the stable alignment of muscle fibers.
In other words, compression stimulates the muscles into replicating their usual action, resulting in less muscle injury, swelling, and soreness. Muscle repair time is also reduced, helping to improve athletic performance. Active compression also assists in dispersing the lactic acid accumulated as a byproduct of anaerobic respiration and may also have potential benefits for injury prevention and management. Active compression-induced changes in tissue blood flow and perfusion also appear to result in improved oxygenation to muscle tissues.