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The high-elasticity bottoms applying gradual pressurization to the blood vessels of the lower extremities simultaneously assisting to both prevention and treatment of multiple health conditions such as varicose veins. Medical compression stockings are classified as medical supplies, and there is a clear standard on magnitude and application for gradual pressure. However, in the case of leggings, there are no relevant experimental data or papers supporting these findings. This study was performed in order to analyse the gradual compression values in legging. Eight types of leggings currently available on the market by different brands, were analysed to determine the type of pressure applied. The pressure was measured at five points of the clothed body with leggings pulled across lower extremities. An airpack sensor was attached to a wooden leg model and five consecutive records at each measuring point were taken. Afterwards the average values were calculated. As observed in all eight leggings, the measuring point with the highest pressure applied was the back of the calf (mean 18.25 mmHg) or the below the knee circumference (mean 13.83 mmHg), pointing to deviance in applying gradual pressure as proposed in medical compression stockings. The commercial leggings used in this experiment did not show a gradual increase in pressure from the thigh to the ankle body zone. One can presume that the legs’ fatigue would increase over the time. Since, the gradual pressure should be applied in legging construction as seen in medical compression stockings.

It is a novel approach to design the partition structure of clothing according to the deformation of the human body surface skin during exercise. The functional evaluation of these products remains unknown, and there is limited knowledge about the effects of the partition structure design on the pressure comfort of clothing. This research carried out a partitioned structural design of the leggings based on the skin deformation of the lower limbs of the human body during yoga exercise and developed two styles of seamless yoga leggings. The skin pressure exerted by the new seamless yoga leggings was compared with two commercial yoga leggings. Eight female college students were invited to wear all the yoga leggings samples and perform yoga exercises. The skin pressure exerted by yoga leggings was measured by the German novel-Pliance multipurpose pressure distribution measurement system on 10 body positions. The results showed that yoga leggings designed with a partitioned structure exert a comfortable pressure on the skin during yoga exercise, and the pressure change was smaller under different yoga postures, which has better pressure stability. The partition structure design model of seamless yoga leggings was optimized, which provided a reference for the functional partition design and product development of seamless yoga leggings.

This study analyzed leggings patterns and materials and evaluated user satisfaction with movement, wear comfort, and compression by body part and posture while wearing leggings. We also examined the stress strain through a 3D virtual fitting. To perform the test, 7/8 leggings, which are the most preferred style among middle-aged women in their 40 s and 50 s, were selected. The leggings comprised stretch knit material mixed with nylon and polyurethane (PU). Five subjects were asked to wear a random pair of test leggings and evaluate their satisfaction with movement, wear comfort, and compression by body part and posture on a 5-point scale, where the postures were walking freely, 90°one-sided leg flexion, bent-legs crouching, and sitting on a chair position. Overall, there were statistically significant differences in satisfaction at the level of p  < .05. According to the maximal elongation rate of the skin and the rate of increase of the body surface area by body part, the higher the proportion of stretchable and elastic PU in the leggings, the higher the wearers’ satisfaction, while the lower the proportion of PU with the aforementioned properties, the lower the satisfaction level. Specifically, by body part, satisfaction with wear comfort in the waist and abdomen was high for the material composition 63% nylon and 37% PU and for 79% nylon and 21% PU and 74% nylon and 26% PU in the hip, crotch, and thigh areas, while the lowest satisfaction with all body parts was reported for 84% nylon and 16% PU. Moreover, satisfaction with waist compression decreased as the proportion of PU increased. Regarding abdominal compression, an area which may have considerable subcutaneous fat, the range of pressure applied on this part of the body dispersed as the material stretched in the course direction, decreasing the subjects’ sense of the clothing’s constraint. According to the result of stress strain testing using a color distribution chart in 3D virtual fitting, stress strain was the highest for the material composition 84% nylon and 16% PU, which was represented in red. In contrast, it was low for 63% nylon and 37% PU, represented in yellow and green. Stress had an inverse relationship with the textile’s stretchability. In summary, the effect of the characteristics of stretch knit material on different body parts differed depending on the direction of movement and the elasticity of the material, and user satisfaction was influenced by changes in the curvature of the individual’s body, as well as the elasticity and movement direction of the material.

Based on 3D body scanning, this study developed the corresponding measurement-based patternmaking (CMP) method for leggings that could systematically provide an excellent fit and control tightness for different body parts. The CMP method for leggings was qualitatively validated by comparing the fit suitability of the produced leggings prototypes through a wear test. The results suggest that the CMP method is an option to design leggings with outstanding suitability in terms of appearance satisfaction, size satisfaction, compression satisfaction, usefulness in movement, ease of movement, ease in donning and doffing for different body parts. In particular, the graduated application percentage (GAP) provided an advantage in usefulness in movement, while the fixed application percentage (FAP) showed an advantage in ease in donning and doffing. As such, this study suggests selecting the CMP method of the application percentage (AP) depending on the purpose of use. This study demonstrated that the proposed method ensured validity in directly implementing a leggings pattern with 3D body scanning and body measurement alone.

We evaluated the effect of compression leggings with micromassage in association with physical activity on women with lipedema, not previously treated and without recent changes in body weight. The treatment resulted in an improvement in all subjective parameters, in spontaneous and evoked pain, in the volume of the limbs, in the absence of significant changes in body weight, and regardless of the duration of use, age, years of illness, the clinical stage, and body mass index (BMI). Evoked pain did not improve in areas affected by untreated lipedema; foot circumferences did not increase. We found a significant reduction in the thickness of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and skin evaluated in multiple points of the lower limb. Micromassage compression leggings are proposed as an integral part of conservative treatment. A method is proposed for the clinical evaluation of evoked pain, called the Progressive Pain Check (PPC), which allows for the calculation of a numerical score called the Ricolfi–Patton Score (RPS) and for the ultrasound evaluation of tissues. The method is simple and repeatable and allows for completion of the clinical evaluation of the patient at diagnosis and for an evaluation of the effects of various treatments, even applied to just one side of the body.

Globally, accelerated aging is taking place alongside increased life expectancy of the population. This poses a challenge to maintaining autonomy and independence as people age but preventing falls and disabilities. Currently, there are few specific technologies on the market that are focused on the rehabilitation and promotion of autonomy in older adults. This study presents the development of a prototype (Myoviber®) of a low-cost, wearable everyday garment, designed to stimulate the lower limbs by the application of focal muscle vibration and incorporating technical textile qualities. The presented approach is proactive and preventive, maintaining functionality for the elderly while integrating electronic technology into an everyday garment. For this, a comprehensive study was carried out that included the design of the leggings through anthropometric analyses, the development of vibration devices at a stable frequency located in the knee extensor muscle and a smart belt with wireless connection, and the optimization of the battery autonomy. The development of the prototype was carried out through the construction of a vibratory device, which was validated with biomechanical evaluations. The results show an increase in the functional capacity of the lower limbs, in relation to motor tasks such as postural balance and gait in older people.

This study aims to identify appropriate pressure levels for supporting key thigh muscles in late middle age women by analyzing muscle fatigue responses using surface electromyography (EMG). Functional leggings were developed for Korean women in their 50s using 3D human body data, focusing on targeted reinforcement of the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis within the quadriceps femoris. Leggings patterns were created with region-specific reduction rates derived from preliminary evaluations and virtual simulations. The final garments were assessed through quantitative clothing pressure measurements, EMG-based muscle fatigue analysis, and subjective comfort evaluation. Results showed that clothing pressure was lowest at the waist and highest at the back of the calf, ranging from 0.77 to 1.98 kPa. Notably, muscle fatigue in the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis significantly decreased when wearing the leggings compared to loose-fit control pants. Furthermore, reductions exceeding 20% were observed in the vastus medialis and biceps femoris. Subjective evaluations indicated high satisfaction across all items, particularly in muscle support and suitability for exercise. These findings suggest that the developed leggings apply optimal pressure to key muscle areas, effectively reduce fatigue, and offer a comfortable and supportive option for activewear among late middle age women.

Enhancing recovery is a fundamental component of high-performance sports training since it enables practitioners to potentiate physical performance and minimise the risk of injuries. Using a new sports legging embedded with an intelligent system for electrostimulation, localised heating and compression (completely embodied into the textile structures), we aimed to analyse acute recovery following a fatigue protocol. Surface electromyography- and torque-related variables were recorded on eight recreational athletes. A fatigue protocol conducted in an isokinetic dynamometer allowed us to examine isometric torque and consequent post-exercise acute recovery after using the sports legging. Regarding peak torque, no differences were found between post-fatigue and post-recovery assessments in any variable; however, pre-fatigue registered a 16% greater peak torque when compared with post-fatigue for localised heating and compression recovery methods. Our data are supported by recent meta-analyses indicating that individual recovery methods, such as localised heating, electrostimulation and compression, are not effective to recover from a fatiguing exercise. In fact, none of the recovery methods available through the sports legging tested was effective in acutely recovering the torque values produced isometrically.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) aims to improve the gait pattern in cases of weak foot dorsiflexion (foot lifter weakness) and, therefore, increase the liveability of people suffering from chronic diseases of the central nervous system, e.g., multiple sclerosis. One important component of FES is the detection of the knee angle in order to enable the situational triggering of dorsiflexion in the right gait phase by electrical impulses. This paper presents an alternative approach to sensors for motion capture in the form of weft-knitted strain sensors. The use of textile-based strain sensors instead of conventional strain gauges offers the major advantage of direct integration during the knitting process and therefore a very discreet integration into garments. This in turn contributes to the fact that the FES system can be implemented in the form of functional leggings that are suitable for inconspicuous daily use without disturbing the wearer unnecessarily. Different designs of the weft-knitted strain sensor and the influence on its measurement behavior were investigated. The designs differed in terms of the integration direction of the sensor (wale- or course-wise) and the width of the sensor (number of loops) in a weft-knitted textile structure.