All Relief, No Attachments: Hyperice Normatec Elite Compression Boots Review

Professional athletes have used compression boots for decades to enhance recovery efforts. These pneumatic “boots” compress the legs from bottom to top in sequence, enhancing lymphatic and blood circulation. They also provide compressive massage. Once the realm of pro athletes, Hyperice Normatec Elite brings this recovery tool to recreational athletes.

I am no stranger to compression (or recovery) boots. I first saw them used by professional cyclists and marathoners in the early 2000s. Then, as a trainer for professional motocross athletes, I found them useful in getting my battered clients recovered day-to-day. Finally, I used them during a year that involved 10 medical procedures on my knee to stave off edema.

I tested the Hyperice Normatec Elite compression boots for 3 months during my usual cycling and climbing training and as I greatly ramped up training for an ice-climbing trip to Alaska. The boots were used three to four times a week during the testing period in conjunction with other recovery measures, such as massage, cold therapy, and heat therapy.

In short: The Hyperice Normatec Elite compression boots proved beneficial for speeding recovery and reducing muscle pain and joint swelling. The deep, sequential compression also just plain felt good when my legs were hammered. I had no doubt that they drastically improved recovery from hard efforts, making the next day’s training more productive. If you can afford them, they are worth considering after you’ve mastered the other lifestyle aspects that optimize recovery.

Are you shopping for foot massagers? Check out our guide on the best foot massagers before making purchasing decisions.

My Experience With Compression Boots

Although I had prescribed compression boots for decades to elite athletes, I had never owned a set until 2018. The medical procedures on my knee in a 13-month stretch left me with intense swelling and pain. My surgeon told me to use compression boots as much as I could tolerate to help mitigate the swelling and reduce stiffness.

I cannot express how much those boots aided my recovery process. In the immediate term, I saw visible differences in swelling between before and after use — cutting the swelling by up to half. I used the boots multiple times a day, with lower pressure at first, eventually up to the highest pressure when I could tolerate it.

The stiffness and swelling relief lasted a few hours at first and with time, the entire day. At times, the boots were the only thing that allowed me to move my knee without pain.

How Compression Boots Work

Compression boots have overlapping air chambers that inflate to squeeze the limb inside, starting from the foot and ending at the hip. But each brand differs slightly. Think of them as “milking” your legs.

The Normatec Elite has five overlapping air chambers. They inflate slowly, starting with the foot and then moving upward in sequence. As the next higher chamber inflates, the prior chamber deflates. When the fifth uppermost chamber is full, the entire boot is emptied, and the process starts over. Other boots have varying numbers of chambers. The most I’ve seen is seven.

The intensity (air pressure) and total treatment time are almost always adjustable. Some units allow the user to manipulate the inflation time and the pause between the boot’s deflation and starting the cycle over.

How Is the Normatec Elite Compression Boot Different?

Portability

Extreme portability is the main differentiator of the Normatec Elite from other models, including other offerings from Hyperice.

Other recovery boots have an air delivery system tethered to the leg sleeves. Some also require an AC outlet. The Hyperice Normatec Elite needs neither.

Each boot has an impressively small compressor and control panel unit attached to the outside aspect of the thigh. There are no cords, no long hoses, and no separate, heavy compressors. Each boot is entirely self-contained.

Hyperice claims that the USB rechargeable battery inside the control units will power 4 hours of treatment. And at 3.2 pounds per boot, the entire package is much lighter than any other model I’ve seen or used.

Inflation Pattern

On all other compression boots I’ve used, the lower chamber stays inflated as the next one in sequence inflates. This is repeated, so at the end of the cycle, the entire boot is full. The Normatec Elite has a significant variation in this pattern.

Normatec calls its pattern “Pulse” technology. It states that this mimics the pattern of natural muscle pumping and the veins’ one-way valves. The inflation sequence is still from foot to hip. But, each compartment “pulses” (inflates and deflates) before the sequence advances to the next higher chamber. The default pulse duration is 30 seconds.

The Normatec Elite also initially inflates the entire boot to position and shape it properly before the actual treatment session.

Adjustability

Like other compression boots, the intensity (seven levels) and duration can be adjusted on the control unit on each leg. The two compressors communicate with each other, so pressing the start button on one boot automatically starts the other, and the cycles are synchronized.

There is also a “boost” option that increases the pressure of the chosen chamber by 10 psi. Maximum pressure is stated as 110 mm Hg.

Users can also access preset treatment patterns through a Normatec app and manipulate the sessions in other ways. Fine-tuning can get as detailed as inflation pulse times and pressures for each chamber.

Hyperice Normatec Elite Review

I am six years out from injury, and my training for cycling, climbing, and motocross feels normal to me, but with reduced volume.

I still have less knee flexion than before the surgeries, but I hardly notice outside of a few rock-climbing moves. The Normatecs arrived at a time when I viewed them as a tool to enhance day-to-day recovery, not as a tool for recovery from injury.

When I Used Them

I used the boots in the evenings after particularly intense days or when consecutive days of training made my legs feel fatigued and depleted. It didn’t matter if my training was aerobic, strength, climbing-specific, or general conditioning. If it made my legs feel weak or tired, I used them.

I also used the Normatec Elites on the rare occasions when I overloaded my affected knee. It would swell slightly, or I’d have a twinge of pain, and often it was both.

Impressions

I can confidently say that the recovery sessions, which lasted between 30 minutes and an hour, helped in several ways. The first was that they were relaxing, making them a great way to wind down for bed. Often, I would fall asleep as the consistent and rhythmic compression replaced a massage.

After hard aerobic or anaerobic efforts, the boots subjectively had a positive impact on how I felt the next day. I didn’t have the “empty shell” feeling that was usual after a muscle glycogen-depleting workout. This was most noticeable when the next day’s program called for anything more intense than aerobic output, especially during the first 30-40 minutes.

Usually, I felt the accumulated fatigue and lack of muscular fuel for that time period until my body “caught up.” But after an hour of Normatec Elite therapy the previous night, I felt much better.

After intense strength sessions, compression therapy lessened the pain and soreness caused by muscle damage. Subjectively, it shortened the suffering by one day. It diminished not only the point tenderness but also the general “hot” or “broken” feeling of my legs.

I have done some of the exercises using the same rep/set scheme since I was a teen. I’ve only adjusted the load depending on current strength levels. I knew, and expected, the second-day soreness for anything ballistic or in the one-to-three-rep range. The Normatec Elite compression boots drastically reduced this second-day soreness.

Things I Could Not Feel

I had no method to gauge any increases in blood flow. And for a short time period after the treatments, my subjective feeling was that the blood flow was actually reduced. I understand the mechanism behind the increased blood flow during use. But I didn’t feel anything to support or deny what studies said. I also didn’t test flexibility, since I always went straight to bed after each session.

I always used the highest intensity setting and could have used even more pressure. The prior compression boots I used during my knee recovery generated more pressure (they were a medical version). But I’m confident that for most people, the Normatec Elites will provide enough pressure.

Although the Normatec Elite was much easier to move than units with separate compressors, control panels, and related hoses, I didn’t find it all that portable.

Even when folded tightly, the boots never completely deflated. There was always residual air inside, so even my best efforts left them fairly bulky. I considered them portable enough for my car, but not for carrying on board an airplane.

What Research Says About Compression Boot Therapy

The technical term for the way Normatec Elite boots work is “​Peristaltic Pulse Dynamic Compression,” “External Pneumatic Compression,” or “Intermittent Compression.”

Some research found no benefit, but most did. In a variety of studies, this therapy showed statistically significant benefits in these areas of recovery: reduction of pain and swelling, improved blood flow, performance, flexibility, and reduced post-exercise soreness.

Conclusions: Who’s It For?

It’s hard to cut through the giant volume of claims about recovery tools. However, I seem to always find research that supports and negates the effectiveness of each.

I am a science guy at heart and worked at the University of Texas Human Performance Lab, so things like correlation versus causation and statistical significance matter to me. I cannot provide hard numbers for my experiences using the Hyperice Normatec Elite boots; I can only relay my personal subjective feelings.

The majority of the studies I read about this type of therapy are positive. Testing the Normatec Elite bolstered my prior experience with compression boots during my year-long series of medical procedures. I admit some personal bias because of my prior experiences, but I stand by the statements in this review.

At just under $999, the Normatec Elite is a significant investment. If you can do without the portability, Hyperice offers a different version that requires hoses for $799. And Therabody has units as low as $499 (and as high as $1,299), which I have also used. Compression boots are also eligible for FSA/HSA.

In the end, I would recommend Hyperice Normatec Elite to any friend or family member looking for an advantage in recovery from physical efforts (who can afford the system). However, this is only if they have the lifestyle aspects of recovery intact, such as nutrition, sleep, and stress reduction.