Knee sleeve practices and beliefs in recreational and competitive strength sport athletes: An international cross-sectional survey

Despite the popularity of knee sleeves in strength sport participation, little is known about how athletes perceive to benefit from them during training or competition. Therefore, this study investigated current practices and beliefs of knee sleeves employed by competitive and recreational athletes from various strength sports. An open, anonymous survey was distributed via social media and industry experts to a cross-sectional convenience sample of competitive and recreational strength sport athletes. The 19-item survey was distributed between May and July 2025. A total of 225 respondents completed the survey (males =103 [45.8%], females = 122 [54.2%]; overall age = 36.1 ± 11.9 years; competition experience 5.5 ± 4.6 years). Respondents represented a range of strength sports (e.g., powerlifting, weightlifting, strong(wo)man, etc.) at various competitive levels (amateur to Olympic), as well as non-competitive recreational trainees. The most popular material for knee sleeves was neoprene (188; 83.6%), and the majority of respondents reported that their knee sleeves were 7 mm thick (143; 63.6%). More respondents favored manufacturer-recommended fitting knee sleeves 156 (69.3%) than tighter fitting (69; 30.7%). Perceived advantages and benefits were analyzed using content analysis principles, resulting in two categories: psychophysiological and social. Strength athletes use knee sleeves for several reasons, with the most frequently reported perceived benefits being increased stability, joint warmth, a rebound effect, and augmented maximal strength. Additional findings note that several of the perceived benefits have not been empirically substantiated, and further research is required to fully elucidate the potential benefits that knee sleeves have on strength performance.