The aim of this study was to examine the effect of wearing graduated compression stockings on physiological and perceptual variables during and after intermittent (Experiment 1) and continuous (Experiment 2) running exercise. Fourteen recreational runners performed two multi-stage intermittent shuttle running tests with 1 h recovery between tests (Experiment 1). A further 14 participants performed a fast-paced continuous 10-km road run (Experiment 2). Participants wore commercially available knee-length graduated compression stockings (pressure at ankle 18 - 22 mmHg) beneath ankle-length sports socks (experimental trials) or just the latter (control trials) in a randomized counterbalanced design (for both experiments). No performance or physiological differences were observed between conditions during intermittent shuttle running. During the 10-km trials, there was a reduction in delayed-onset muscle soreness 24 h after exercise when wearing graduated compression stockings (P < 0.05). There was a marked difference in the frequency and location of soreness: two participants in the stockings trial but 13 participants in the control trial indicated soreness in the lower legs. Wearing graduated compression stockings during a 10-km road run appears to reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness after exercise in recreationally active men.

Respiratory muscle fatigue has been demonstrated following short-term exercise to volitional fatigue, as well as following prolonged submaximal exercise. There is some suggestion that the respiratory muscles of 'athletic' individuals have superior strength and greater fatigue resistance but it is not known whether inspiratory muscle strength influences fatigueability of the inspiratory muscles. The present study examined this question in 24 moderately trained young men. Inspiratory muscle strength was measured at residual volume using a hand held Mouth Pressure Meter before and after an incremental, multistage shuttle run to volitional fatigue. Following the run, there was a significant fall in inspiratory mouth pressures (-10.5 +/- SD 8.2%; p < 0.001 Pre- vs Post Pipeak). The subjects with the weakest inspiratory muscles exhibited significantly greater fatigue than those with the strongest (-17.0 +/- SD 7.8% c.f. 6.8 +/- SD 4.4% for the 25th and 75th percentiles respectively p < 0.01). These data support existing evidence that the respiratory muscles fatigue following high intensity exercise. In addition, they provide new evidence that this phenomenon occurs in moderately trained young men and that the severity of the fatigue is related to the baseline strength of the inspiratory muscles.

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