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Electromyogram and perceived fatigue changes in the trapezius muscle during typewriting and recovery

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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the development and recovery of muscle fatigue in the upper trapezius muscle by analyzing electromyographic signals. Six male subjects performed a simulated typewriting task for four 25-min sessions. During fatigue and the following rest periods, subjective fatigue and surface electromyography (EMG) from the trapezius muscle during isometric contraction at 30% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) were periodically measured in the interval. We detected a significant decrease in muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) (P = 0.008) and median frequency (MDF) (P = 0.026) as well as an increase in root mean square (RMS) (P = 0.039) and subjective fatigue (P = 0.0004) during the fatigue period. During the recovery period, subjective fatigue decreased drastically and significantly (P = 0.0004), however, the EMG parameters did not recover completely. Thus, physiological muscle fatigue in the trapezius developed in accordance with subjective muscle fatigue during typewriting. On the other hand, differences between the physiological and subjective parameters were found during recovery. Further studies should be necessary to reveal the discrepancy could be a major factor of a transition from temporal phenomena to serious chronic muscle fatigue and to identify the necessity of some guidelines to prevent VDT work-related chronic muscle fatigue in the trapezius.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Prof. Gisela Søgaard and the EJAP reviewers for their useful comments on earlier submitted drafts of this article. We also thank Dr. Tohru Yamaguchi, biostatistician of the Health Care Research Institute of Kao Corporation, for his statistical advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tokyo Research Laboratories, Kao Corporation, 2-1-3 Bunka Sumida, Tokyo, Japan

    Mitsutoshi Kimura & Hirotaka Sato

  2. Department of Kansei Engineering, Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, 3-15-1 Tokida, Ueda, Japan

    Mamoru Ochi, Satoshi Hosoya & Tsugutake Sadoyama

Authors
  1. Mitsutoshi Kimura
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  2. Hirotaka Sato
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  3. Mamoru Ochi
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  4. Satoshi Hosoya
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  5. Tsugutake Sadoyama
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Correspondence to Mitsutoshi Kimura.

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Kimura, M., Sato, H., Ochi, M. et al. Electromyogram and perceived fatigue changes in the trapezius muscle during typewriting and recovery. Eur J Appl Physiol 100, 89–96 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0410-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0410-2

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