Changes in neuromuscular function after tasks involving control of EMG versus torque feedback of the same duration.

This study was designed to compare alterations in neuromuscular function after two tasks of similar duration involving the control of (1) torque level fixed at 40% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque (torque task) and (2) EMG level when exerting 40% MVC torque on the knee extensor muscles. Ten healthy subjects volunteered to participate in two testing sessions separated by approximately 2 h. Contraction duration for the EMG task was fixed for each subject to the time to task failure of the torque task (104+/-20s). MVC, maximal voluntary activation level, muscle compound action potential (M-wave), peak twitch and potentiated peak doublet were assessed before and immediately after each…

Time course of central and peripheral fatigue differs when maintaining a constant-EMG task vs. a constant-torque task

Time Course of Neuromuscular Alterations during a Prolonged Running Exercise

PLACE, N., R. LEPERS, G. DELEY, and G. Y. MILLET. Time Course of Neuromuscular Alterations during a Prolonged Running Exercise. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 36, No. 8, pp. 1347–1356, 2004. Purpose: This study investigated the time course of contractile and neural alterations of knee extensor (KE) muscles during a long-duration running exercise. Methods: Nine well-trained triathletes and endurance runners sustained 55% of their maximal aerobic velocity (MAV) on a motorized treadmill for a period of 5 h. Maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), maximal voluntary activation level (%VA), and electrically evoked contractions (single and tetanic stimulations) of KE muscles were evaluated before, aft…

Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Training on Endurance Performance

Various electrical stimulation modalities are used as adjuvants to conventional training and rehabilitation programs to increase bodily function or to reduce symptoms, such as pain. One of these modalities, neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), commonly refers to the transcutaneous application of electrical currents to a target muscle group with the objective to depolarize motor neurons and consequently elicit skeletal muscle contractions of substantial intensity (usually ranging from 10 to 60% of the maximal voluntary contraction). Because NMES can generate considerable muscle tension, it is frequently used as a strength training technique for healthy adults and athletes, but also a…

Unchanged H-reflex during a sustained isometric submaximal plantar flexion performed with an EMG biofeedback.

The aim of this study was to assess H-reflex plasticity and activation pattern of the plantar flexors during a sustained contraction where voluntary EMG activity was controlled via an EMG biofeedback. Twelve healthy males (28.0+/-4.8 yr) performed a sustained isometric plantar flexion while instructed to maintain summed EMG root mean square (RMS) of gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscles fixed at a target corresponding to 80% maximal voluntary contraction torque via an EMG biofeedback. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve was evoked during the contraction to obtain the maximal H-reflex amplitude to maximal M-wave amplitude ratio (…

Assessment of the reliability of central and peripheral fatigue after sustained maximal voluntary contraction of the quadriceps muscle

The aim of the present study was to further confirm the validity of measurements for characterizing neuromuscular alterations by establishing their reliability both before and after fatigue. Thirteen men (28 5 years) volunteered to participate in two separate identical sessions requir- ing the performance of a sustained maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) with the quadriceps muscle for 2 min. MVC and transcutaneous electrical stimulations were used before and immediately after the fatiguing contrac- tion to investigate the reliability of MVC torque, central activation, and peripheral variables (M-wave properties, peak twitch, peak doublet) within and between sessions. Based on previous and …

Neuromuscular fatigue differs following unilateral vs bilateral sustained submaximal contractions

The purpose of the present study was to compare the mechanisms of fatigue induced by a unilateral vs a bilateral submaximal isometric knee extension. Ten physically active men completed two experimental sessions, randomly presented. They were asked to maintain an isometric knee extension force corresponding to 20% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) until task failure with one leg (unilateral) vs two legs (bilateral). MVCs were performed before and after the sustained contraction. Transcutaneous electrical stimuli were used to examine central (voluntary activation) and peripheral (peak doublet force at rest) fatigue on the exercised leg. Time to task failure was significantly shorter…

Response to letter to the editor by T. D. Noakes

Neuromuscular fatigue differs with biofeedback type when performing a submaximal contraction

The aim of the study was to examine alterations in contractile and neural processes in response to an isometric fatiguing contraction performed with EMG feedback (constant-EMG task) when exerting 40% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque with the knee extensor muscles. A task with a torque feedback (constant-torque task) set at a similar intensity served as a reference task. Thirteen men (26+/-5 yr) attended two experimental sessions that were randomized across days. Endurance time was greater for the constant-EMG task compared with the constant-torque task (230+/-156 s vs. 101+/-32s, P0.01). Average EMG activity for the knee extensor muscles increased from 33.5+/-4.5% to 54.7+/-21.…