title: Quantitative assessment of motor fatigue: normative values and comparison with prior-polio patients.
abstract: Motor fatigue is a common complaint of polio survivors and has a negative impact on activities of daily living. The aim of this study was to establish a normative database for hand grip strength and fatigue and to investigate differences between prior-polio subjects and normal controls. Static and dynamic hand grip fatigue and maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of hand grip were measured in subjects with a prior history of polio (n = 44) and healthy controls (n = 494). A normative database of fatigue was developed using four indices of analysis. Compared with healthy controls, subjects with prior polio had significantly reduced hand grip strength but developed greater hand grip fatigue in only one fatigue index. Quantitative measurement of fatigue in the prior-polio population may be useful in order to detect change over time and to evaluate treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland. dmeldrum@rcsi.ie
authors.forename: Dara
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meldrum
authors.forename: Eibhlis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cahalane
authors.forename: Ronan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Conroy
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guthrie
authors.forename: Orla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hardiman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D019540:Area Under Curve; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D016262:Postpoliomyelitis Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012727:Sex Characteristics