At this point, spotting NBA players kicking back in inflatable boots is like catching Steph Curry sinking a three-pointer: expected. Athletes have regularly used these boots for post-exercise recovery for more than a decade, and they’re now ubiquitous among the professionally fit, name-dropped by the likes of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Naomi Osaka, and Sabrina Ionescu, as well as by celebrity trainers, cyclists, runners, and other exercise devotees who have the means. Even Missy Elliot has sported Normatec Legs between shows.
However, over the past couple of years, these high-end recovery devices have been more heavily marketed to everyday folks. I’ve spotted them on yoga teachers fresh off the plane and dancers between performances, as well as on the menu at spas. A friend told me that she had worn a pair to help with pregnancy-related edema (with her doctor’s blessing, of course).
Ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to more than a grand, these boots are still a luxury. But as someone with chronic pain exacerbated by long walks, plane rides, and sedentary workdays, I started to wonder if I too could benefit. Experience has made me wary of quick fixes, especially passive, spendy ones. But these FDA Class II devices are FSA- and HSA-eligible, and I was intrigued.
Many of these supposedly circulation-boosting devices are TSA-compliant, appealing to those concerned about blood clots during long flights. With two cross-country flights coming up, I decided to try a couple of the big-name boots, from Hyperice and Therabody, for myself, and I talked with multiple owners, as well as three physical therapists, to find evidence of what exactly these things can—and can’t—do.
