Compression Tights Do Not Influence Lower-Body Soft Tissue Movement in Males During Sprinting, Jumping and Change-of-Direction Tasks

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Compression tights do not influence lower-body soft tissue 2 movement in males during sprinting, jumping and change-of- 3 direction tasks

This is a sound study with excellent data collection, processing and analysis methods.  However, the sample size is small and the external validity/generalisability is questionable.

Introduction

A well written, easy to read introduction that appears to cover the relevant literature in the area and provides a reasonable rationale for the study. It would be good to see an introduction to the design, composition and construction variations in compression garments so the reader can determine the external validity/generalisability of the outcomes.

Methods

The sample size is disappointing, particularly given that this is a fairly easy data collection.

P3, line145 is a little confusing ‘(in that order) in both garment conditions in a randomised, counterbalanced order.’ And please clarify how this relates to ‘The task order was designed to progress from the least fatiguing tasks to the most fatiguing tasks’

Photos of the two garments would be useful.

P4 line 185 I don’t understand this sentence ‘Additional tape was used to secure the two soft tissue markers to ensure congruence with the underlying musculature.’ Please clarify.

I note that the compression garments have TPU (or similar) taping, which vary from garment to garment, brand to brand and are known to affect the performance of the garments. This would therefore influence the generalisability of the outcomes of your study.  For example, your conclusions would only apply to this configuration and design of compression garments.

Can you confirm where the measurements were taken in relation to the TPU tape eg. Under it or not, or does this vary across body segments?

Can you confirm that the measurement locations (e.g. marker placements) were consistent across participants?

Quite a low cut-off frequency.

Well written methods and comprehensive, rigorous data processing and analysis.

Results

Please clarify how the reported effect sizes relate the effect size thresholds presented in the method for small, moderate, large.

Discussion

Given the differences in design, composition and construction across compression garments, I question the generalisability of your findings.  Conclusions need to be toned down and presented in relation to the specific garment and exercises used in the current study.

This statement needs rephrasing;

These findings support the limited benefits of CGs on performance during exercise and provide key evidence for the lack of effectiveness of such garments on attenuating soft tissue movement (or ‘muscle oscillation’) during sports-specific forms of movement.

Instead, this should be toned down and read something like;

These findings demonstrate limited benefits of this CGs on performance during these exercises and provide evidence for the lack of effectiveness of this garment on attenuating soft tissue movement (or ‘muscle oscillation’) during sports-specific forms of movement.

Throughout the discussion you should refer to ‘this CG’ not CGs in general.

Checking the consistency in the use of the term dampening or damping.

Use ‘the CG’ not ‘CGs’.

Given the unclear effect sizes, it would be useful to collect further data from a greater sample size.

The following sentence should be presented in the method.  This area should also be considered/introduced in the introduction and a discussion about the standardisation of this should be provided.

In the present study, a novel design of compression tights was used that incorporated Lycra elastomeric panels across the anterior thigh and posterior calf, ostensibly to provide additional support at these muscle groups.

The reference to female specific garments as a limitation is not needed. This is nothing to do with this study. Instead the limitation of this study is that lack of generalisability.  This should be considered and discussed.

Author Response

Please see the attachment. Thank you.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the opportunity to review your manuscript titled "Compression tights do not influence lower-body soft tissue movement in males during sprinting, jumping and change-of-direction tasks." The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of lower-body compression garments (CGs) on soft tissue movement, kinematics, and performance variables during exercise tasks. Overall, the paper is very well-written. However, I have huge concerns regarding the experimental design and the clarity of certain methodological aspects, which affect the originality and validity of the research.

 

1. It is unclear why wearing compression garments would alter marker movement and how this relates to injury risk. The connection between the use of CGs, changes in marker movement, and potential injury mechanisms needs to be explicitly stated. Substantially revise the Introduction and Discussion sections to clearly articulate the theoretical basis for how CGs might influence soft tissue movement and contribute to injury risk. Provide relevant literature to support these links, enhancing the study's originality and impact.
2. L 338-341: The methodology for assessing soft tissue displacement lacks detail. It is not clear what specific calculations were performed and why this approach is valid for evaluating soft tissue displacement. Provide a detailed explanation of the calculations and methods used to assess soft tissue displacement. Justify the validity of this approach and explain how it accurately reflects soft tissue movement. This section is crucial and requires thorough elaboration.
3. The positions of the lower limb markers are not described in sufficient detail.
4. L 187: The methods used to analyze leg and thigh segment motion are not specified.
5. Using "COMP" for the experimental condition and "CGs" for compression garments is confusing due to their similarity. Use consistent and distinct abbreviations for both the experimental conditions and the compression garments to avoid confusion. Consider standardizing the abbreviations throughout the manuscript.
6. Figure 2: It is unclear whether the straight line depicted represents 5 m or 10 m. Additionally, the force plate is not shown.
7. L 331:It should be noted that the results for the 10-meter sprint are based on the analysis of 10 participants.
8. L 44: The statement "Repeated exposure to such vibrations over time may contribute to the development of lower-body injuries" seems speculative without sufficient evidence.
9. L 59: "Broatch, Brophy-Williams, Phillips, O’Bryan, Halson, Barnes and Bishop [6]" is verbose. Follow the journal's guidelines for citation formatting, potentially using "et al." after the first author's name for works with multiple authors to improve readability.
10. L 132: The term "recreationally active" is repeated from Line 126.

Author Response

Please see the attachment. Thank you.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I had misunderstood the soft tissue movement.

Lines 205-222: I was only able to understand the marker positions by referring to the Appendix. However, the description of the markers in the Methods section remains insufficient. The total number of markers is likely more than 24. Are there individual markers for the calf and thigh, or are they arranged in clusters of four each? Additionally, in Figure 2, there appear to be more than five markers on the tibia segment.

Leg and Thigh Segment Motion: The marker positions for the leg and thigh segments are not clearly identifiable from the figures. To enhance clarity for readers, consider cropping the upper body and zooming in on the areas where the markers are placed.

 

Lines 386-389: Please relocate the discussion of the "Euclidean distance between the segment COM and the soft tissue joint marker" to the Motion Capture section (Lines 204-226).

 

 

Line 219: Use "lower leg" or "tibia" instead of "leg."

 

Abstract: You should define the movements of the thigh and tibia.

 

Methods: A factor influencing the results may be the low-pass filter. It appears that soft tissue movements include frequencies higher than 8 Hz. Please also consider the effects of frequency.

 

Author Response

Please see the attachment. Thank you.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf