Abstract
Purpose
The goal of complex tasks can be maintained despite variability in the movements of the multiple body segments involved in the task (VARelements). This variability increases in acute pain and may enable the nervous system to search for less painful/injurious movement options. It is unclear whether VARelements increases when pain challenges simple tasks with fewer movement options, yet maintain successful attainment of the goal. We hypothesised that during acute pain related to a simple movement: (1) the task goal would be maintained; (2) VARelements would be increased; and (3) if VARelements increased during pain, it would decrease over time.
Methods
Movements of the right wrist/forearm were recorded with a three-dimensional motion analysis system and during a repetitive radial-ulnar deviation task between two target angle ranges (the task goal). We measured success of attaining the goal (repetitions that reached the target range and total absolute error in degrees), and variability in the motion of wrist flexion–extension and forearm pronation–supination (VARelements). Fourteen healthy participants performed the task in one session before, during, and after wrist extensor muscle pain induced with hypertonic saline, and in another session without pain.
Results
The task goal was maintained during acute pain. However, VARelements in other motion planes either reduced (pronation–supination) or did not change (flexion–extension). Thus, variability of task elements is constrained, rather than increased, in simple tasks.
Conclusions
These data suggest the nervous system adapts simple tasks with limited degrees of freedom by reduction of VARelements rather than the increase observed for more complex tasks.
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Acknowledgments
The study was funded by a Program Grant (ID631639) and Research Fellowships (PH: APP1002190 and KT) from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical standards
The experiments comply with the current laws of Australia. All procedures were approved by the University of Queensland Medical Research Ethics Committee and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki.
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Communicated by Fausto Baldissera.
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Bergin, M.J.G., Tucker, K.J., Vicenzino, B. et al. Does movement variability increase or decrease when a simple wrist task is performed during acute wrist extensor muscle pain?. Eur J Appl Physiol 114, 385–393 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-013-2777-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-013-2777-6