It makes no sense to wear an article of clothing that’s uncomfortable. The same is true if the fit is fine but it leads to an uncomfortable feeling in your mind.

That’s why I said, “No how, no way,” when a student of mine once suggested I start wearing bow ties to school. And why I had the same reaction when I first raced against a cyclist wearing knee-high compression socks - even though he won that race, a hilly road race serving as the state championship, by a minute and a half.

The guy certainly looked goofy standing atop the podium afterwards, but his success piqued my curiosity. I sought out studies on the efficacy of wearing compression socks or sleeves on your calves when walking, running, hiking or biking.

In short, I found what you can find at The Cleveland Clinic’s website and stated by one of their doctors, Georgeanne Botek, DPM, and Head of the Section of Podiatry and Medical Director of the Diabetic Foot Clinic: that there’s not a lot of evidence to support the wearing of compression socks or sleeves during ambulatory exercise, but that doing so afterwards appears to enhance recovery from it.

A study first published in the February 2012 issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, for instance, found it led to a substantially better second 25-mile bicycling time trial. The group of subjects who wore compression socks during the 24 hours between the two race-like efforts recorded a higher average power output during the second ride when compared to the group who wore placebos.

The same difference in power output occurred one week later when the experiment was performed again but the two groups reversed roles.

That’s all I needed to read. I bought a pair and began to experiment.

Since that time I’ve learned that wearing compression socks or sleeves after a hard ride is nearly as vital to a quick recovery for me as eating a 450-calorie meal with a 4-1 ratio of complex carbs and protein immediately afterwards and following that with a similar feeding in another two hours or so. As a result, I have written more than once that you should experiment with wearing compression socks or sleeves if your goal is to recover as quickly as possible after exercising ambitiously.

So why take on the topic again? Because there’s cool news about compression sleeves.

Literally.

TheraICE RX now offers sleeves you can use on any extremity, and even a compression cap for your head if you suffer from migraines. All items can be heated in the microwave for immediate soothing relief.

Better still - and more effective based on my experience - you can cool them in the freezer. It takes about two hours and the chill lasts about 20 minutes.

And that’s no stretch - though I’m thrilled that the TheraICE RX sleeves do so much more easily than conventional compression socks and sleeves.

Prior to receiving samples of this product from Lindsey Hytrek, Public Relations Account Coordinator at ChicExecs Marketing Agency, I had only used compression on my calves.

The theory being that after a hard ride, the constant pressure provided by the socks or sleeves from the ankle to the knee helps prevent swelling. Moreover, that constant pressure also increases blood circulation, forcing blood away from the legs and to the heart and ultimately speeding up the removal of the exercise-induced lactic acid that can create soreness.

But because the TheraICE RX products stretch readily and are available in multiple sizes, I’m able to use the smalls on my calves and the mediums around my thighs. That second bit of compression around the top end has been a godsend.

It’s lessened and sometimes eliminated the next-day ache I usually experience in my hips and glutes from riding hard at my age with two titanium rods still screwed into two previously fractured, and now a bit arthritic, femurs.

While I will admit to making other dietary and post-exercise changes that have also possibly mitigated my day-after discomfort, I will report that the time or two I did all that but skipped wearing the chilled sleeves, I had the familiar old ache the next morning - and a subpar ride later.

Although you probably already gathered as much, in the name of full disclosure let me be clear. I got the TheraICE RX products I wear around my calves and thighs (and sometimes my elbows after lifting) gratis.

And let me be clear about something else as well. TheraICE RX products are worth checking out not only if you’re hooked on working out hard, but also if you’re not quite as ambitious - or suffer from any type of inflammation, bursitis, tendinosis, or osteoarthritis.

You’ll find the full line of products at TheraIce.com.