Assessment of Muscle Fatigue Using EMG under Long Duration and High Intensity Fatigue Condition

Abstract

Evaluation of local muscle fatigue has been conducted over past decades to investigate the process of fatigue accumulation and to reduce effect of fatigue in EMG field. The purpose of this study was to investigate fatigue in isotonic contractions, which can inflict the same fatigue on the subject during dynamic contractions. Local muscle fatigue was measured by changing the load level and exercise time in dumbbell curl comprising isotonic contractions through power spectrum changes. Five healthy males and five healthy females performed dumbbell curls with 1 kg load for two minutes, and on other days when no fatigue occurred due to the previous exercise, performed for one minute with a 2 kg load. The muscle fatigue was estimated by median frequency before and after fatigue, the decrease was greater than in the trial wherein a load of 2 ㎏ was applied for one minute than in the trial where a load of 1 kg was applied for two minutes for the females. The decrease in the median frequency is quantitative data indicated by the slowing of the motor unit actional potential (MUAP), suggesting exercise intensity is more sensitive to the slowing of the MUAP than the exercise duration.