Effect of muscle fatigue recovery on walking of young adults

Abstract

Muscle fatigue causes adaptations in the aspects associated with balance control during locomotion, such as muscle strength, coordination and proprioception. However, little is known about the recovery of gait parameters after muscle fatigue. The aim of the study is to analyze the effect of different recovery periods after quadriceps muscle fatigue on walking of young adults. Forty individuals with age between 20 and 40 years old will participate in this study. The participants will perform the following tasks: I) walk in regular environment: the participants will perform 3 trials at preferred velocity and walk 8 meters on each trial, II) maximal voluntary contraction protocol: it will be performed on Leg Press equipment, and each participant will perform 2 trials on each period; III) fatigue induction protocol: quadriceps muscle fatigue will be inducted by sit-to-stand task until voluntary exhaustion; IV) the first and second items will be repeated after fatigue induction, and after 5, 10 and 20 minutes of passive rest. In the walking task will be analyzed the central stride for each participant on each trial. To answer the questions of the study will be analyzed kinematic, kinetic and electromyographic gait parameters before muscle fatigue induction, after muscle fatigue induction and after 5, 10 and 20 minutes of rest. The data will be compared by ANOVAs with repeated measures for the period of muscle fatigue (before muscle fatigue x after muscle fatigue after X 5 minute of recovery x 10 minute of recovery x 20 minutes of recovery).