Application of compression stockings to the lower extremities is a widely used therapeutic intervention to improve venous return but there is only scarce information about the effects of compression on local arterial perfusion. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that a positive external pressure increases forearm perfusion. The relation between increasing external pressure induced by standardized compression and the arterial inflow and arterial flow reserve of the forearm was critically evaluated in a group of healthy young males (n=9). Flow was measured with venous occlusion plethysmography after 10 min application of 6 different stockings with increasing compression pressure ranging 13 - 23 mm Hg. During compression the arterial inflow increased significantly from 3.7 ± 0.85 to 8.8 ± 2.01 ml/min per 100 ml tissue (p < 0.001) and the arterial flow reserve increased from 17.7 ± 4.7 to 28.3 ± 7.0 ml/min per 100 ml tissue. The flow increase was persistent after 3 hours of constant application of external pressure and also during simultaneous low intensity hand grip. Similar results as obtained with occlusion plethysmography were seen with MRI. During the interventions there was no change in forearm temperature and no report of discomfort by the volunteers. In conclusion, 1) arterial perfusion of the human forearm increases more than twofold during application of external compression for a pressure range of 13 - 23 mm Hg. 2) The result is interpreted as an autoregulatory response following the decrease of the vascular transmural pressure gradient.