Compression shorts
Encyclopedia
Compression shorts are undergarments usually worn by athletes. They are form-fitting garment
Form-fitting garment
A form-fitting garment is an article of clothing that tightly follows the contours of the part of the body being covered. There are numerous types of clothing which typically are or which can be made form-fitting. For example, stockings, leggings, tights and socks are usually form-fitting...

s and when worn cover the athlete's waist to mid or lower thigh. These garments are often made from a spandex
Spandex
Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...

-type material, similar to cycling shorts
Cycling shorts
Cycling shorts are short, skin-tight legwear designed to improve comfort and efficiency while cycling...

.

A major benefit of compression shorts are that they keep the thigh muscles warm to prevent muscle strain and fatigue. In addition, there is some evidence that compression shorts may enhance athletic performance. They are also used as a way to keep the male genitalia in place. Compression shorts also help to keep undergarments in place, and for certain sports, like baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

 (where they are also known as "sliding shorts"), come with padding at the hips to protect players from injuries due to sliding.

Another major benefit is that many compression shorts are designed to wick sweat away from the body to lessen chafing
Chafing
Chafing when used as a nautical term describes the process of wear on a line or sail caused by constant rubbing against a hard, usually metallic, surface. Various methods are used to prevent chafing. Chafing of lines that rest on a choke on a boat can be prevented by putting a protecting material...

 and the onset of rashes. The friction between the fabric of the shorts sliding past each other may also be less than that of bare thighs rubbing, which may also reduce chafing during things like walking or running when the thighs are adducted.

There are also other types of compression garments that serve a similar function, such as compression t-shirts, socks, sleeves & tights
Tights
Tights are a kind of cloth leg garment, most often sheathing the body from about the waist to the feet with a more or less tight fit, hence the name....

. Common brands are Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...

, Under Armour
Under Armour
Under Armour is an American sports clothing and accessories company. The company is a supplier of a wide range of sportswear and casual apparel mainly focusing on hi-tech sportswear for professional athletes...

, Skins, McDavid, Easton
Easton
-United Kingdom:*Easton, Bristol*Easton, Cambridgeshire*Easton, Dorset*Easton, Hampshire**Crux Easton, Hampshire*Easton, Isle of Wight*Easton, Lincolnshire*Easton, Norfolk*Easton Maudit, Northamptonshire*Easton Neston, Northamptonshire*Easton, Somerset...

, Zensah and Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

.

More recently, jockstraps
Jockstrap
A jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity...

 have fallen out of favor with young male athletes, and garments such as compression shorts have seen an increase in popularity, arguably because of their comparable function and less embarrassing looks.

Compression shorts are also popular among female athletes, especially among those who wear skirts or kilts during games. In those situations, athletes wear compression shorts under the skirt so if they fall over and their skirts ride up, their underwear will not be exposed. This is seen particularly in women's lacrosse
Women's lacrosse
Women's lacrosse, sometimes shortened to wlax or lax, is a sport played with twelve players on each team. Originally played by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the first tribe to play it was the Hauser tribe, of the Great Plains. The modern women's game was introduced in 1890 at the St...

 and field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...

 (both being no-contact sports in which players often wear skirts). In this situation, compression shorts are often referred to as spandex
Spandex
Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...

shorts, the material they are often manufactured with. In tennis, women typically wear skirts with compression shorts under them to hold the tennis balls in addition to their more common benefits. The tightness keeps the ball in place; some recent shorts have ball pockets in them. There are also women's compression shorts for use before, during and after pregnancy. Pregnancy compression shorts supports upper and lower abdominal muscles, caesarean wounds and perineal stitches.
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