Effect of vibration on antagonist muscle coactivation during progressive fatigue in humans

1. Biceps femoris antagonist coactivation increases during progressive fatigue. Our purpose was to determine if the mechanism that increases coactivation during fatigue is susceptible to vibration. Vibration drives alpha-motoneurons via the Ia loop, producing force without descending motor drive, and thus uncoupling antagonist and agonist activation. Evidence that vibration increases coactivation disproportionately from its 'common drive' would suggest the possibility that some of the effects of fatigue are mediated through a segmental reflex loop. 2. Ten male subjects performed repeated maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVCs) of the knee extensors of one leg. Paired submaximal test contractions (50% of MVC), without visual feedback, were performed when MVC reached 85, 70 and then 50% of its initial value. Vibration was applied to the patellar tendon during one test contraction in each pair. 3. Vibration reduced test contraction force below control values. However, coactivation increased at the same rate in both conditions. Biceps femoris coactivation was greater during vibration, but did not change during fatigue in either condition. 4. Our observations suggest that agonist-antagonist muscle pairs are controlled as a single motor unit pool by a common central drive. Vibrating the agonist increases antagonist coactivity, but does not alter the rate at which coactivation increases during fatigue. This supports the idea that agonist coactivation is controlled by a central mechanism.