Effect of the Size of the Covered Area of the Chest Surface on Pressure Sensation

Abstract

Compression underwear improves the body’s shape, but its effects on human health and stress remain controversial. Our goal is to develop underwear that applies a comfortable pressure sensation. The participants were eight women who evaluated the perceptible clothing pressure on the body surface in four planes (4th–8th ribs) while wearing a 2.5 cm wide elastic band. Their pressure perceptions were compared between two conditions: when the elastic band was tightened based on the feeling caused by adjusting the length in each plane singly and in all four planes simultaneously. When the clothing pressure was 3–4 hPa, they reported a perfect pressure sensation. When they were constricted on each plane singly, there was a positive correlation between the pressure sensation and the clothing pressure. When the size of covered area increased, the relation between the pressure sensation and the compressed area size was positively correlated (P < 0.001).