The effect of localized leg muscle fatigue on tibial impact acceleration

Objective The goal of this study was to evaluate and compare lower-leg muscle fatigue, edema, and discomfort induced by the prolonged standing of security guards wearing regular socks and those wearing 15–20 or 20–30 mmHg compression stockings as intervention. Background Compression stockings are somewhat used by individuals standing all day at work. However, quantitative evidence showing their potential benefits for lower-leg health issues in healthy individuals during real working conditions is lacking. Method Forty male security employees participated in the study. All were randomly assigned to the control or one of the two intervention groups (I15–20 or I20–30). Lower-leg muscle twitch force, volume, and discomfort ratings were measured before and after their regular 12-hr standing work shift. Results Significant evidence of lower-leg long-lasting muscle fatigue, edema, and discomfort was observed after standing work for guards wearing regular socks. However, no significant changes were found for guards wearing either compression stockings. Conclusion In healthy individuals, compression stockings seem to attenuate efficiently the tested outcomes in the lower leg resulting from prolonged standing. Application Occupational activities requiring prolonged standing may benefit from 15–20 or 20–30 mmHg compression stockings. As similar benefits were observed for both levels of compression, the lower level may be sufficient.

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Being physically active minimizes the effects of leg muscle fatigue on obstacle negotiation in people with Parkinson’s disease

Journal of Biomechanics ◽

10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110568 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 110568

Author(s):

Paulo Cezar Rocha dos Santos ◽

Fabio Augusto Barbieri ◽

Diego Orcioli-Silva ◽

Victor Spiandor Beretta ◽

Tibor Hortobágyi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Muscle Fatigue ◽

Physically Active ◽

Leg Muscle

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Modulation of ventilatory mechanics during exercise in ventilation-limited populations

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/h08-006 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 536-537 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Scott J. Butcher

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Function ◽

Muscle Fatigue ◽

Lung Volume ◽

Exercise Tolerance ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Respiratory Muscle ◽

Respiratory Muscle Fatigue ◽

The Third ◽

Leg Muscle ◽

The Impact

The aim of this thesis was to examine the impact of modifications to ventilatory constraint in populations who have reductions in expiratory flow and ventilatory limitations during exercise. The first study examined the effect of the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) regulator on work of breathing (WOB) and lung volume changes in healthy subjects. The second study further examined the effect of the SCBA on the above outcomes, as well as on pulmonary function and respiratory muscle fatigue during stair-stepping (in healthy subjects). In addition, the effect of breathing heliox on the aforementioned variables was studied. The third thesis study examined the effect of heliox on ventilatory constraint, exercise tolerance, and leg muscle fatigue in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The main results of the first study were that, compared with a low-resistance breathing valve (RV), the SCBA regulator increased inspiratory elastic (32%), expiratory resistive (59%), and total WOB (13%), and increased end-expiratory lung volume creating a plateau in end-inspiratory lung volume at approximately 90% of vital capacity. When these variables were examined with the full SCBA and compared with the RV in the second study, similar results were found. In addition, resting pulmonary function was reduced with the SCBA. Exercise with the SCBA induced reductions in both inspiratory and expiratory maximal pressures indicating the presence of respiratory muscle fatigue. When compressed air was replaced with heliox in the SCBA, end-expiratory lung volume, total WOB, and respiratory muscle fatigue were reduced. These observations regarding the effect of heliox on ventilatory function led to the third study, which found that heliox increased exercise tolerance (53%) and leg muscle fatigue (15%) in patients with COPD, but only in those limited by ventilatory constraints and who did not have a significant level of leg fatigue while breathing room air. Those patients who did have leg fatigue on room air did not increase exercise tolerance despite reduced ventilatory constraint. Together, these findings indicate that reducing ventilatory constraint during exercise can have specific positive effects on exercise performance in populations who are ventilatory limited and have implications for occupational or rehabilitation exercise training.

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Effects of various walking intensities on leg muscle fatigue and plantar pressure distributions

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12891-021-04705-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chi-Wen Lung ◽

Ben-Yi Liau ◽

Joseph A. Peters ◽

Li He ◽

Runnell Townsend ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Muscle Fatigue ◽

Plantar Pressure ◽

Walking Speed ◽

Weight Bearing ◽

Metatarsal Head ◽

Multiscale Entropy ◽

Median Frequency ◽

Brisk Walking ◽

First Metatarsal ◽

Leg Muscle

Abstract Background Physical activity may benefit health and reduce risk for chronic complications in normal and people with diabetes and peripheral vascular diseases. However, it is unclear whether leg muscle fatigue after weight-bearing physical activities, such as brisk walking, may increase risk for plantar tissue injury. In the literature, there is no evidence on the effect of muscle fatigue on plantar pressure after various walking intensities. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of various walking intensities on leg muscle fatigue and plantar pressure patterns. Methods A 3 × 2 factorial design, including 3 walking speeds (1.8 (slow and normal walking), 3.6 (brisk walking), and 5.4 (slow running) mph) and 2 walking durations (10 and 20 min) for a total of 6 walking intensities, was tested in 12 healthy participants in 3 consecutive weeks. The median frequency and complexity of electromyographic (EMG) signals of tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) were used to quantify muscle fatigue. Fourier transform was used to compute the median frequency and multiscale entropy was used to calculate complexity of EMG signals. Peak plantar pressure (PPP) values at the 4 plantar regions (big toe, first metatarsal head, second metatarsal head, and heel) were calculated. Results Two-way ANOVA showed that the walking speed (at 1.8, 3.6, 5.4 mph) significantly affected leg muscle fatigue, and the duration factor (at 10 and 20 min) did not. The one-way ANOVA showed that there were four significant pairwise differences of the median frequency of TA, including walking speed of 1.8 and 3.6 mph (185.7 ± 6.1 vs. 164.9 ± 3.0 Hz, P = 0.006) and 1.8 and 5.4 mph (185.7 ± 6.1 vs. 164.5 ± 5.5 Hz, P = 0.006) for the 10-min duration; and walking speed of 1.8 and 3.6 mph (180.0 ± 5.9 vs. 163.1 ± 4.4 Hz, P = 0.024) and 1.8 and 5.4 mph (180.0 ± 5.9 vs. 162.8 ± 4.9 Hz, P = 0.023) for the 20-min duration. The complexity of TA showed a similar trend with the median frequency of TA. The median frequency of TA has a significant negative correlation with PPP on the big toe ( r = -0.954, P = 0.003) and the first metatarsal head ( r = -0.896, P = 0.016). Conclusions This study demonstrated that brisk walking and slow running speeds (3.6 and 5.4 mph) cause an increase in muscle fatigue of TA compared to slow walking speed (1.8 mph); and the increased muscle fatigue is significantly related to a higher PPP.

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