Fatigue Analysis of Human Reinnervated Muscle After Microsurgical Nerve Repair

Abstract

The reinnervated elbow flexors, biceps, and brachialis muscles were compared with the elbow flexors on the healthy opposite side in terms of muscle strength and fatigue in 10 patients who sustained sequelae of a unilateral posttraumatic brachial plexus palsy. The patients had recovered an active elbow flexion against resistance after microsurgical nerve repair. The patients were reviewed with an average postoperative followup of 12 years (range, 7.5-16 years). Despite a statistically significant difference in maximum isometric force, this study showed that after peripheral nerve repair, a partially reinnervated muscle has the same characteristics of fatigue and endurance as a normally innervated muscle, if these muscles exert the same percentage of their own maximum force.