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Related Concept Videos

Muscle Recovery and Fatigue01:24

Muscle Recovery and Fatigue

Muscle fatigue refers to the decline in a muscle's ability to maintain the force of contraction after prolonged activity. It primarily stems from changes within muscle fibers. Even before experiencing muscle fatigue, one may feel tired and have the urge to stop the activity. This response, known as central fatigue, occurs due to changes in the central nervous system, namely the brain and spinal cord. While there is no single mechanism that induces fatigue, it may serve as a protective response...
Alterations in Muscle Tone lll01:11

Alterations in Muscle Tone lll

Rigidity and myotonia are distinct abnormalities of muscle tone that affect resistance and relaxation during movement. Although both involve altered muscle contraction, they arise from different neurological and muscular mechanisms.CharacteristicsRigidity is characterized by uniform resistance to passive movement across the entire range, independent of speed, affecting flexors and extensors equally. It may appear as lead-pipe rigidity (smooth, constant resistance) or cogwheel rigidity...
Alterations in Muscle Tone ll01:12

Alterations in Muscle Tone ll

Alterations in muscle tone are common manifestations of neurological disorders and reflect dysfunction within different nervous system regions. Spasticity, paratonia, and dystonia represent distinct forms of hypertonia, each with unique mechanisms, clinical features, and diagnostic importance.CharacteristicsSpasticity happens from upper motor neuron lesions and is characterized by velocity-dependent resistance to passive movement. Clinical features include:Exaggerated deep tendon reflexesClonus...
Motor Unit Stimulation01:20

Motor Unit Stimulation

When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
Muscle Stimulation Frequency01:22

Muscle Stimulation Frequency

The contraction strength of muscles is regulated by motor neurons, which modulate the frequency of action potentials dispatched to the motor units based on the body's requirements. This process of varying the muscle stimulation frequency allows muscles to contract with a force that is precisely tailored to the needs of the moment, whether lifting a feather or a heavy box.
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles01:29

Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles

The period of muscle contraction primarily influences the duration of stimulation at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the presence of free calcium ions in the sarcoplasm, and the availability of energy or ATP to support contractions.
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open.

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Measuring the Motor Aspect of Cancer-Related Fatigue using a Handheld Dynamometer
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Published on: February 20, 2020

Change in manipulation with muscle fatigue.

Gabrielle Todd1, Simon C Gandevia, Janet L Taylor

  • 1School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia. gabrielle.todd@unisa.edu.au

The European Journal of Neuroscience
|November 4, 2010
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Summary

Muscle fatigue reduces hand grip force and alters control strategies. Fatigued individuals show increased muscle activity but decreased force output and coordination during object manipulation.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuromuscular control
  • Human motor performance
  • Exercise physiology

Background:

  • Muscle fatigue is a common physiological state characterized by reduced force-generating capacity.
  • Understanding the impact of fatigue on fine motor skills like hand dexterity is crucial for various applications.
  • Previous research has established the link between fatigue and force production, but its specific effects on hand dexterity control strategies require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of experimentally induced muscle fatigue on hand dexterity during a grip-and-lift task.
  • To analyze changes in grip force, lift force, and muscle activity (electromyography) before and after fatigue induction.
  • To determine how fatigue impacts the coordination and temporal relationship between grip and lift forces.

Main Methods:

  • Healthy adults (n=17) performed a grip-and-lift task before and after two interventions: 2-minute rest (control) or sustained maximal pinch grip (fatigue).
  • Measurements included horizontal grip force (GF), vertical lift force (LF), and electromyographic activity (EMG) of the first dorsal interosseous muscle.
  • Analysis focused on the lift (dynamic) and hold (stationary) phases, examining force parameters, variability, and cross-correlation between GF and LF derivatives.

Main Results:

  • Post-intervention, grip force was reduced in the fatigue condition during the hold phase.
  • The coefficient of variation for grip force (hold phase) and root mean square EMG (lift phase) increased with fatigue.
  • Fatigue significantly reduced the maximum cross-correlation coefficient between grip and lift forces, indicating disrupted temporal coordination.
  • Grip strategy and lifting kinetics remained largely unchanged.

Conclusions:

  • Muscle fatigue impairs hand dexterity by reducing grip force and altering motor control strategies.
  • Fatigued individuals exhibit increased muscle activation (EMG) but reduced force output and poorer coordination between grip and lift forces.
  • Greater fluctuations in grip force occur during object holding when muscles are fatigued.