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An index for breathlessness and leg fatigue
1Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden. eb@psychology.su.se
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
|July 16, 2009
Summary
Leg fatigue, not breathlessness, most often stops strenuous exercise in healthy individuals. Both symptoms increase similarly during exercise, but fatigue is the primary reason for stopping.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Symptom Perception
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Discontinuation of strenuous exercise is often due to perceived symptoms.
- The specific symptoms and their progression during exercise remain understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the primary symptoms that lead healthy individuals to stop strenuous exercise.
- To characterize the development of these symptoms during exercise.
Main Methods:
- 38 healthy adults (24-71 years) underwent a standardized exercise test.
- Breathlessness and leg fatigue were rated using Borg CR10 and CR100 scales.
- Symptom relationships and growth patterns were analyzed using power functions and a Growth Response Index (GRI).
Main Results:
- Leg fatigue was the dominant symptom causing exercise cessation in 71% of participants.
- The ratio of breathlessness to leg fatigue at exercise termination was consistently around 0.75-0.77.
- Growth functions and GRI for both symptoms were similar, indicating parallel progression.
Conclusions:
- Leg fatigue is the most common reason for healthy individuals to discontinue strenuous exercise.
- Breathlessness and leg fatigue increase in parallel during incremental exercise tests.
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