Lab test · Clothing pressure

WaveWear and Competitor Compression Analysis

29.0mmHgPressure of WaveWear #1 sitting, up from 9.1 mmHg standing. Second highest of the seven samples when the leg was bent.The garment holds firmer where the knee bends.

Seven compression leggings on the same manikins, standing and sitting, in a climate-controlled lab. Here is how much pressure each one put on the leg.

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FITI

FITI Testing & Research InstituteIndependent testing institute, Korea. Climate chamber, 20 °C, 50% RH.

Key resultsMore Support When the Leg Bends

9.1mmHgStanding (WaveWear #1)Lighter pressure when the leg is straight.Mean of the last 10 seconds

29.0mmHgSitting (WaveWear #1)Firmer hold when the leg bends: second highest of the seven samples.Highest: sample #5, 30.4 mmHg

3.2×More pressure when bentSitting pressure was about 3.2 times the standing pressure for WaveWear #1.29.0 ÷ 9.1 mmHg

7Leggings testedTwo WaveWear adhesive silicone samples and five competitor brands.Same chamber, same sensors

Clothing pressure measured on manikins in a climate chamber (20 °C, 50% RH). Values from the results table on this page. Results describe the samples tested, not every garment or every wearer.

On this page

01Summary
02Test design
03Test protocol
04Results
05What this means for you

Summary

This study evaluates the clothing pressure of seven compression legging samples: two WaveWear adhesive silicone products (#1 and #2) and five competitor brand leggings (#3 to #7). The goal was to measure how much pressure each product puts on the body in different postures, and how stable that compression stays when you move from standing to sitting.

29.0mmHg

WaveWear #1 rose from 9.1 mmHg standing to 29.0 mmHg sitting, the second highest of the seven samples with the leg bent.

Results table (mean ± SD, last 10 seconds of each one-minute posture).

Test design

Seven samples were provided for this test and each was placed on a manikin. The first two samples were WaveWear adhesive silicone compression leggings; one of them was worn inside out to test the effect of reversing it. The other five were competitor brand compression leggings with varied material and construction.

The test was carried out by FITI Testing & Research Institute, an independent testing institute in Korea. The test environment was held constant in an artificial climate chamber so the conditions could be repeated.

Legs in black WaveWear compression leggings and white sneakers on a white background — **WaveWear compression leggings.** Samples #1 and #2 were WaveWear leggings with adhesive silicone (AlignX™) inside.

Test conditions

Lab: FITI Testing & Research Institute, Korea
Samples: 7 compression leggings: WaveWear #1, WaveWear #2 (worn inside out), competitors #3–#7
Room: Artificial climate chamber, 20 °C ± 0.5 °C, 50 ± 10% relative humidity
Sensors: 4 pressure sensors per manikin: upper thigh, mid-thigh, knee joint and ankle
Postures: Standing and sitting, one minute each

Test protocol

Conditioning. Each sample was conditioned for at least 12 hours in the climate chamber to stabilize fabric tension and moisture content.
Sensor placement. The electrodes were attached at predefined anatomical sites, following the client's specification, so placement was the same for every sample.
Two postures. The manikins were placed standing, then sitting, for one minute each.
Reading. Pressure data were collected during the last 10 seconds of each minute.

Results

The highest clothing pressure was generally seen at the ankle and the knee; the other two locations showed lower pressure. Standing, the samples with the highest pressure were #6, #5 and #4. Sitting, the order changed: sample #5 was highest at 30.4 mmHg, and WaveWear #1 was close behind at 29.0 mmHg.

Clothing pressure, standing → sitting (mmHg)

WaveWear #1+19.9mmHg9.1 standing → 29.0 sitting. Pressure rises where the knee bends: the garment holds firmer when the leg is bent.

Sample #5 (competitor, highest sitting)−0.7mmHg31.1 standing → 30.4 sitting. About the same in both postures.

Clothing pressure, standing vs sittingMean of the last 10 seconds of each posture, mmHg

Clothing pressure, standing vs sitting (mmHg)
Item	Standing	Sitting
WaveWear #1	9.1	29.0
WaveWear #2 (inside out)	6.7	19.7
#3	24.5	18.5
#4	29.6	19.7
#5	31.1	30.4
#6	31.3	22.8
#7	16.8	25.1

Figure A. Each line is one legging, standing on the left and sitting on the right. WaveWear #1 (bold) rises the most when the leg bends; four of the five competitor samples drop.

Results table below.

Results table (mmHg, mean ± SD)

Sample	Standing	Sitting	Change (sitting − standing)
#1 WaveWear	9.1±0.2	29.0±0.1	+19.9
#2 WaveWear, inside out	6.7±0.1	19.7±0.0	+13.0
#3 Competitor	24.5±0.2	18.5±0.0	−6.0
#4 Competitor	29.6±0.0	19.7±0.0	−9.9
#5 Competitor	31.1±0.0	30.4±0.0	−0.7
#6 Competitor	31.3±0.1	22.8±0.0	−8.5
#7 Competitor	16.8±0.0	25.1±0.0	+8.3

Mean ± SD of the last 10 seconds of each one-minute posture. A plus sign means the legging pressed harder when the leg was bent.

The Change column is sitting minus standing, so a plus sign means the legging pressed harder when the leg was bent.

WaveWear #1 showed the largest shift between postures: 9.1 mmHg standing and 29.0 mmHg sitting, an increase of 19.9 mmHg (sitting about 3.2 times standing). In plain terms, the leggings hold the leg more firmly as the knee bends, which is when activities like running or lifting load the joints, and stay lighter when you stand.

What this means for you

In this test, WaveWear #1 delivered high clothing pressure in the sitting position, a sign of effective compression and a consistent fit when the leg bends. Getting strong support when your joints bend matters for movement, comfort and everyday activity, from sport and running to daily tasks.

See how the silicone is built on the AlignX™ technology page, or what it did to blood lactate in our lactic acid study.

Pressure was measured in kPa; 1 kPa = 7.5 mmHg. Values on this page are converted (kPa × 7.50062, rounded to 0.1 mmHg).

WaveWear is sportswear, not a medical device. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any condition.

Page updated October 2026.

Compression leggings9.1 → 29.0 mmHg, standing to sitting

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