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The effects of accumulated muscle fatigue on the mechanomyographic waveform: implications for injury prediction

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Abstract

Purpose

Muscle fatigue has been identified as a risk factor for spontaneous muscle injuries in sport. However, few studies have investigated the accumulated effects of muscle fatigue on human muscle contractile properties. This study aimed to determine whether repeated bouts of exercise inducing acute fatigue leads to longer-term fatigue-related changes in muscle contractile properties.

Methods

Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) measures were recorded in the biceps brachii of 11 participants for 13 days, before and after a maximally fatiguing exercise protocol. The exercise protocol involved participants repetitively lifting a weight (concentric contractions only) equal to 40 % MVC, until failure.

Results

A significant (p < 0.05) acute pre- to post-exercise decline of biceps brachii MVC and median power frequency (MPF) was observed each day, whilst no difference existed between pre-exercise MVC or MPF values on subsequent days (days 2–13). However, decreases in number of lift repetitions and in pre-exercise MMG values of muscle belly displacement, contraction velocity and half-relaxation velocity were observed through to day 13.

Conclusions

Whilst MVC and MPF measures resolved by the following day’s test session, MMG measures indicated an ongoing decrement in muscle performance through days 2–13 consistent with the decline in lift repetitions observed. These results suggest that MMG may be more sensitive in detecting accumulated muscle fatigue than the ‘gold standard’ measures of MVC/MPF. Considering that muscle fatigue leads to injury, the on-going monitoring of MMG derived contractile properties of muscles in athletes may aid in the prediction of fatigued-induced muscle injury.

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Abbreviations

1/2 T r :

Half-relaxation time

1/2 V r :

Half-relaxation velocity

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

Ca2+ :

Calcium

D max :

Maximal muscle belly displacement

EMG:

Electromyography

MMG:

Mechanomyography

MPF:

Median power frequency

MVC:

Maximum voluntary contraction

PNS:

Percutaneous neuromuscular stimulation

SD:

Standard deviation

SR:

Sarcoplasmic reticulum

T c :

Contraction time

V c :

Contraction velocity

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank each of the participants for their commitment to completing this study, as well as Associate Professor Rod Green for reading through the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072, Australia

    D. Tosovic, C. Than & J. M. M. Brown

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  1. D. Tosovic
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  2. C. Than
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  3. J. M. M. Brown
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Correspondence to D. Tosovic.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Communicated by Nicolas Place.

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Tosovic, D., Than, C. & Brown, J.M.M. The effects of accumulated muscle fatigue on the mechanomyographic waveform: implications for injury prediction. Eur J Appl Physiol 116, 1485–1494 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3398-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3398-7

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