The best compression boots to aid recovery, tested by multi-time marathon runners

Ben Hobson, Multiplatform Director: With a name that suggests space travel is possible, the Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots are a serious bit of kit for those who want to prioritise recovery.

We’re not saying these are as good as a sports massage (very little is), but these boots do come pretty close when it comes to achieving similar stimulus – the main aim of the JetBoots is to use pneumatic compression to manipulate blood flow and help with muscle fatigue. They do this by progressively filling with air from the foot to the top of the thigh, something that Therabody is very keen to highlight has to be done properly to be truly beneficial. (They call it TruGrade Technology and it relates to a precisely calibrated negative gradient being necessary to provide consistent compression levels and ensure proper fluid movement.).

The day-to-day application of this tech is much easier than it’s made to sound: you can zip yourself into the boots, switch them on and choose between four pressure settings and varying times of session – or you can sync them to the Therabody app to unlock the full potential. This is easy and allows you to adjust pressure more accurately – as well as the the length of the ‘squeeze’ when the boots are fully inflated and amount of time they take to release between each compression cycle. Overall, the customisation aspect of these boots is probably the best on the market. Uniquely, there's no wires on the JetBoots, either, which makes them the least cumbersome option we've tested. Both of these factors will cost you, though, with the boots costing around £300 more than others on the market.

The JetBoots do make some noise, but not so much so that they interrupt the TV as you relax and recover in front of your favourite Netflix show. They’re quite bulky, and though they do ‘fold’ away into a bag, the base of the boot that contains the air pump is reasonably large and heavy so they’re not items you can just tuck away. Therabody claims that you can travel with them, which you can, but only if you’re driving somewhere as carrying them about as luggage would be harder work than the race.

The Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots are an undeniably premium product – but, they do serve a purpose and do it well, which you’d expect for the money.

Kate Carter, Acting Commission Editor: I confess that when I unpacked the Normatec 3s, I was expecting a long set up and charging procedure. Instead, they were ready to use almost instantly. The control unit has a battery, that takes a while to be fully charged (at which point it lasts approximately three hours), but you can use it while it’s plugged into the mains, too.

The accompanying app is extremely easy to use. You just answer a few questions about your goals, and when you allow it access to your running apps, it even automatically detects what running you have done and suggests an appropriate recovery programme. So once you are zipped in to the leg sleeves, it’s pretty much instant DOMs or twitchy legs relief time.

The design is standard for compression boots – two leg sleeves, connected by hoses to a central control unit which controls the pressure level (you can also do it entirely from the app via Bluetooth). From the app, you can entirely customise your session – adjusting the areas to pay particular attention to – or activating a more intense ZoneBoost to – that niggly area, from your feet to upper legs. You can also get attachments to take in the hip area, which would be good for those with troublesome glutes.

While some rival models offer higher pressure on their devices, the Normatec 3s offered more than enough for me, with the top level reaching quite intense compression. The only real con to the Normatecs is that there is no carry case or storage device. You can purchase one as an extra, but at that price, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect it to come in the package, even just as a simple holdall. Otherwise, these are a great way – if you can afford it – to calm down those achy legs and do your best to recover for another day’s running.

Ali Ball, E-commerce Editor: When it comes to pressure, you can’t rival the MyoAir. They claim to be ‘the world’s strongest compression boots’, with seven pressure settings ranging from 30 to 250mmHg. For context, most recovery boots max out at around 110mmHg, so these really do pack a punch.

There’s seven pressure settings and you can cycle between them mid-session, so if you’re finding the pressure too intense, just power down with the touch of a button. I found even the mid-range pressure (130 mmHg) pretty powerful, so would recommend starting on a lower pressure until you get used to the sensation.

Pressure is controlled on the power unit, along with time and ‘mode’. It’s a bit of an unwieldy beast, but it’s intuitive to use. However, it’s worth noting that you can’t use the compression boots straight out of the box – you’ll need to charge the power unit for a couple of hours first.

Time wise, choose between 10-, 20-, 30-, 40- or 60-minute sessions (again, a wide selection compared with others on the market). I liked the shorter sessions for when I was pushed for time, while the 60-minute session is ideal for settling in for an evening in front of the box. I used the MyoAir two to three times a week for a month and found it lasted around 180 minutes – so one charge should give you at least a week’s worth of recovery. I definitely noticed a difference in the lightness of my legs after using the boots – particularly on days with higher mileage or increased intensity. While they didn't completely cure DOMS, getting your blood circulating helps to reduce some of that heaviness.

The boots are split into four individually isolated chambers – feet/ankles, calves, mid leg and upper leg. On the power unit, you can choose to switch off a chamber if you don’t want it delivering pressure – handy for those with sore ankles or sensitive shins.

There’s also five unique programmes. You’ll actually need to open the instruction manual to know what each of these does and decipher hieroglyphic-style images of legs. Essentially, the modes change the way the chambers deliver pressure to your legs: mode A, for example, works through each chamber in isolation, while mode B gradually adds a chamber, building up from the ankles. Again, if you’re feeling particularly sore this means you don’t need to lay on the pressure all at once.

The MyoAir also come with a free travel pack (this can be a costly extra with other brands) so there’s the option to take them with you for an overseas race or holiday. Although, the backpack itself would use up your entire hand baggage allowance if you’re travelling by air.

Ali Ball, E-commerce Editor: A lot of compression boots claim to be portable or otherwise suitable for taking abroad with you. But in reality, they’re still pretty bulky and their accompanying carry cases (whether included in the price or an optional extra) would take up the entire contents of your hand luggage if travelling by air. Not the Pulsio boots, though. When I unboxed these I couldn’t believe how well they packed down into a relatively small – and definitely portable – carry bag.

The boots themselves are easy to set up and the legs are handily labelled left and right. Frustratingly, you do need to connect the virtual controller to the mains permanently when using the boots, whereas other power units we’ve tested can be charged to use without the mains. If you're at home, this isn't a problem, but it could be a pain if you’re going overseas where voltage is different or you're killing time at an airport.

The controls are easy to use and allow you to change the pressure, mode and time of the session. There’s no ability to pause the device mid-session, though.

The pressure range on the Pulsio boots is impressive, maxing out at 200mmHg – this is almost on par with the MyoAir and way above the industry standard of 120mmHg. My post-marathon legs definitely appreciated the higher pressure range, too.

Time wise, sessions are limited to 20, 25 or 30 minutes. We would have liked some slightly lengthier options, as it means you need to start the process again if you’re wanting to use the boots for more than half an hour. They're also relatively noisy – not to the extent that you can't watch television or read a book, but it is slightly distracting.

The Pulsio boots come with three modes: Sequence (default), Circulation and Combination. This is about standard. The modes affect how and where pressure is distributed among the boots’ four chambers: the feet, lower calves, upper calves and thigh. Again, simply press the mode button to change to a different mode.

Overall, while the Pulsio boots are slightly limited in terms of their main's connectivity and session length, they're a considerably cheaper option than most other compression boots on the market and offer a pressure range that punches above their price tag. They've also got the added bonus of being extremely portable, and would definitely be our top pick for compression boots to pack for our next "racecation".

Rachel Boswell, Senior Content Writer: Therabody’s RecoveryAir Prime compression boots promise ‘simplified recovery’, and, in equally plain terms, I would say this to be true.

At just shy of £500, the RecoveryAir Prime are the most affordable in the Therabody range, making them also the most accessible with, arguably, the least shebang. While this somewhat negates the use of ‘Prime’ in the product’s name, don’t be deterred – these boots still pack a fine recovery punch.

Remarkably easy to set up, they offer two simple pre-set programmes via the Therabody app – ‘Warm-up’ and ‘Recovery’ – for use before and after a workout, respectively. In all honesty, the only difference between the programmes is the pressure level and treatment time, but that was fine – my legs still noticed and enjoyed the difference between a light, awakening massage and a still-pleasant post-workout pummel.

Split into four chambers, the RecoveryAir Prime boots follow a sequential inflation cycle of 60 seconds, whereby the pressure starts at your feet and moves up your legs toward your torso, inflating chambers one up to four before deflating and going again. Using the self-explanatory buttons on the pump, you can choose from nine pressure settings – ranging from 20mmHg to 100mmHg, going up in increments of 10 – and change the massage intensity mid-treatment should you wish. Having used these boots during the thick of marathon training, I did notice that my legs felt fresher, more flexible and less lethargic than they have done on other occasions when compression boots haven’t been included in my recovery routine.

Unlike the JetBoots (above), you can’t tailor your pressure settings beyond that, unfortunately – but I for one was quite content to literally sit back and let the boots do their own thing.

You can also choose treatments that are 20, 40 or 60 minutes long, or continuous. I’d recommend positioning yourself near a plug socket when going for 60-minute or continuous treatments, though – while the stated battery life is 180 minutes, I found that the battery drained quite heavily for the longer cycles, perhaps because I was making them work at higher pressures. Thankfully, you can still use these boots while they’re plugged in and charging, so a low battery doesn’t mean game over for your recovery sessions.

A slight annoyance is the fact that these boots must be attached to the pump with thick, indiscreet wires – although this wired technology is to be expected with the price. (You'll need to pay £300 more for the JetBoots if you want to go wireless.) Besides, you’ll hopefully be set still in a relaxed, comfortable position when the boots are in action, so the wires shouldn’t bother you at all during a treatment. It’s also worth noting that the pump does make a bit of noise – so if you’re watching TV or listening to music, you’ll probably want to turn up the volume a few dials.

While these aren’t in fact the absolute ‘Prime’ compression boots on the market right now, the RecoveryAir Prime boots are an excellent option for dedicated runners who want a slightly more simplistic, fuss-free recovery tool that still does a worthy job.

Jen Bozon, deputy digital ed: Although these were the first compression boots I’ve tried, I’ve been seriously impressed by them – and they’ve certainly convinced me of the benefits of using compression boots to speed up recovery.

Out of the box, they were super easy to set up: you simply plug them into a console, which is handily pre-charged, zip your legs into them, select a programme on the console and you’re off! There’s six programmes to choose from – warm up, recovery, flow, squeeze, release and wave – which are all set to run for 30 minutes but you can adjust the timer as you please and they will run for up to 99 minutes.

The pressure range runs from 30mmHg to 150mmHg, but, again, you can adjust this during a session if you’re finding it too much – or perhaps want to up the squeeze. Given their much lower price point in comparison to other compression boots, I was impressed by how powerful they were – for example Hyperice’s Normatec 3 Legs max out at 110mmHg and are £649.99 more expensive, which is considerable and also quite baffling. Their battery life – 300 minutes – is also longer than on other more expensive boots, including the Normatec 3, which only last for 180 minutes.

What they don’t have is a corresponding app which offers bespoke programmes based on your personal training schedule, but I personally don’t feel it’s needed, given the six programmes you have to choose from with these – and the significant cost implication of purchasing a more pricey pair that come with an app.

These have four overlapping chambers which each inflate and deflate at different points during a cycle. It’s hard to discern the exact difference between the programmes but the warm-up setting felt much gentler than the others. When these reach 150mmHg, the squeeze is eye wateringly intense – particularly around the feet – which may feel a little claustrophobic for some. I mostly used the recovery programme following strength training sessions, long runs and intervals – and I definitely felt that my DOMS were less noticeable after use, especially after doing leg weights.

Although these come with a handy travel bag, the console is pretty heavy, so isn’t really practical for lugging about unless you’re travelling by car. That said, given the price, you can’t have it all, and if you’re after a pair of boots which don’t cost the earth, these are an excellent option, which will service the recovery needs of most runners.