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Changes in lower extremity muscle coordination over a 30-minute walk do not differ by muscle fatigability
Jocelyn F Hafer1, Sarah A Roelker2, Katherine A Boyer2
1Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Journal of Biomechanics
|November 18, 2024
Summary
Muscle coordination during walking changes with fatigue in older adults. However, the extent of this change did not differ between individuals who were more or less susceptible to muscle fatigue.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Biomechanics
- Motor Control
Background:
- Muscle fatigue, a decline in muscle power, limits daily activities and physical function in older adults.
- Altered muscle coordination is a potential factor contributing to impaired physical performance due to fatigue.
- Understanding how muscle coordination adapts to fatigue is crucial for maintaining mobility in aging populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if changes in lower extremity muscle coordination during gait differ based on an individual's susceptibility to fatigue (fatigability).
- To analyze the relationship between baseline muscle coordination and its alterations following a sustained walking task in older adults.
- To identify specific muscle groups whose coordination patterns are most affected by walking-induced fatigue.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-one older adults underwent muscle power assessments before and after a 30-minute walk to determine fatigability.
- Electromyography (EMG) data during walking were analyzed using non-negative matrix factorization to identify muscle coordination modules.
- Changes in muscle coordination were quantified by the total variance in EMG accounted for by baseline modules (tVAF) and muscle-specific variance (mVAF).
Main Results:
- A significant overall decrease in muscle coordination (tVAF) was observed after the 30-minute walk, indicating altered muscle activity patterns.
- This overall change in muscle coordination did not significantly differ between participants categorized as more or less fatigable.
- Individual muscle-specific variance (mVAF) showed significant associations with overall changes (tVAF) for knee extensors, knee flexors, and ankle dorsiflexors.
Conclusions:
- Muscle coordination during walking undergoes changes in older adults in response to a 30-minute walk.
- The degree of change in muscle coordination during walking is not dependent on an individual's fatigability level.
- Specific lower extremity muscles, including knee and ankle muscles, exhibit altered coordination patterns with sustained walking in older adults.
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