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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Induction and Assessment of Exertional Skeletal Muscle Damage in Humans
Published on: December 11, 2016
Peripheral and central fatigue after muscle-damaging exercise is muscle length dependent and inversely related
Albertas Skurvydas1, Marius Brazaitis, Sigitas Kamandulis
1Laboratory of Human Motorics, Department of Applied Physiology and Physiotherapy of the Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education, Kaunas, Lithuania. a.skurvydas@lkka.lt
Abstract:
Healthy untrained men performed 10 series of 12 knee eccentric extension repetitions (EE) at 160 degrees /s. The maximal voluntary isometric contraction force of the quadriceps muscle, the maximal rate of electrically induced torque development (RTD) and relaxation (RTR), isokinetic concentric torque at 30 degrees /s, the electrostimulation-induced torque at 20 and 100Hz frequencies were established before and after EE at shorter and longer muscle lengths. Besides, voluntary activation (VA) index and central activation ratio (CAR) were tested. There was more peripheral fatigue than central after EE. We established more central fatigue as well as low frequency fatigue at a shorter muscle length compared to the longer muscle length. Relative RTD as well as relative RTR, improved after EE and did not depend on the muscle length. Finally, central fatigue is inversely significantly related with the eccentric torque reduction during eccentric exercise and with the changes in muscle torque induced by low frequency stimulation.
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