Compression Therapy for Neuropathy

If you’re receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer, there’s a chance you’ll experience some tingling, numbness, or pain in your hands and feet — a side effect known as peripheral neuropathy (often just called neuropathy). These symptoms happen when chemo causes damage to nerves that send signals from the brain to other areas of the body.

To reduce symptoms of neuropathy from chemo (doctors may refer to this as chemotherapy-induced neuropathy), some people try applying light pressure to their arms and legs — a technique known as compression therapy.

Compression therapy involves wearing a compression garment, such as a compression sock or sleeve, that provides gentle pressure during chemotherapy. Applying this pressure helps to restrict blood flow to the hands and feet, so that less of the chemotherapy drugs can get to these body parts. 

While most studies of compression therapy to date have been small, the findings suggest that it may lower the chances of chemo-induced neuropathy in some people, says Melissa Accordino, MD, a medical oncologist at the Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. For example, a 2024 review article that pulled together data from four studies (including a total of 442 people) found that those who received compression therapy were less likely to experience chemo-induced neuropathy than those who didn’t receive this therapy. Most of these studies were conducted in China and the U.S., and three of the four focused on people with breast cancer.

Another study, led by Accordino, compared 62 people with breast cancer who were divided into three groups: one group received compression therapy, another group received cold therapy, and the third group wore loose gloves during chemo. The study found that the participants who received compression therapy had lower rates of neuropathy than people who received cold therapy. They were also more likely to stick with the treatment for 12 weeks.

Other studies suggest compression therapy might not be for everyone. A 2022 study of 78 people with breast cancer — including 26 who received compression therapy — found no difference in neuropathy between the two groups. Another study conducted in Japan involved 56 people with breast cancer who wore a compression glove on one hand and nothing on the other during chemo. The researchers found that the participants had similar issues with neuropathy in their hands, regardless of whether it was the hand that received compression therapy or not.

Other studies suggest that compression therapy to reduce peripheral neuropathy may also increase quality of life. The 2024 review article, for example, found that people who received compression therapy during chemo had lower rates of depression than people who received no compression or a placebo (something that makes people feel like they’re getting a treatment when they’re really not). Another study in China found that people with breast cancer who received compression during chemo had less anxiety and depression and better sleep than people who didn’t receive compression.

Researchers are now studying whether combining compression therapy with other therapies can help to further reduce neuropathy from chemo. For instance, a 2024 study in China found that combining compression therapy with exercise may reduce neuropathy and improve daily life and symptoms more so than compression therapy does alone.

Researchers are also experimenting with giving compression and cold therapy together to make cold therapy more tolerable. Accordino is a lead researcher on a trial at Columbia University that’s looking at the effects of compression therapy with cold therapy on chemo-induced neuropathy. Researchers are currently recruiting participants for the study. 

Accordino says that more and larger studies are needed before doctors can feel comfortable recommending people use compression therapy during chemo. Still, because compression garments don’t cost a lot of money (range from $15 to $40 for a pair of gloves or socks, $30 to $80 for sleeves), some people receiving chemo have decided to give compression therapy a try. 

Most studies have people wear compression garments for 15 minutes before chemotherapy, during the infusion, and for 15 minutes after. There is no need to wear compression garments between infusions. You can try a few different compression sleeves or socks that go up your arms and legs to find options that are comfortable enough to wear for the entire infusion.

Studies of compression therapy during chemo suggest there are no serious or long-term risks of the therapy, says Accordino. However, she advises talking with your doctor to confirm they feel it’s safe before you try it — especially because they may be able to offer you tips, like on which type of compression garments to buy.

Larger studies with more rigorous methods — like comparing people that receive compression versus a placebo during chemo — will help researchers determine whether compression therapy can help lower the risks of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, Accordino says. For example, past studies didn’t directly measure how much compression people received. One way scientists are hoping to improve study methods is by directly measuring and controlling how much pressure trial participants receive during chemotherapy, Accordino says.

“We’re hoping that our larger trials will improve what is known so we can offer better guidance to our patients on what's effective, what’s safe, and what’s the best potential way to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy,” she adds.