title: Muscle fatigue: what, why and how it influences muscle function.
abstract: Much is known about the physiological impairments that can cause muscle fatigue. It is known that fatigue can be caused by many different mechanisms, ranging from the accumulation of metabolites within muscle fibres to the generation of an inadequate motor command in the motor cortex, and that there is no global mechanism responsible for muscle fatigue. Rather, the mechanisms that cause fatigue are specific to the task being performed. The development of muscle fatigue is typically quantified as a decline in the maximal force or power capacity of muscle, which means that submaximal contractions can be sustained after the onset of muscle fatigue. There is even evidence that the duration of some sustained tasks is not limited by fatigue of the principal muscles. Here we review experimental approaches that focus on identifying the mechanisms that limit task failure rather than those that cause muscle fatigue. Selected comparisons of tasks, groups of individuals and interventions with the task-failure approach can provide insight into the rate-limiting adjustments that constrain muscle function during fatiguing contractions.
authors: Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA. enoka@colorado.edu
authors: Roger M
authors: RM
authors: Enoka
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Duchateau
mesh_terms: D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
references: J Physiol. 1992 Feb;447:575-85
references: 1593461
references: J Neurophysiol. 2005 Mar;93(3):1381-92
references: 15483059
references: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1968 Oct;31(5):424-33
references: 5709826
references: J Physiol. 1996 Jan 15;490 ( Pt 2):529-36
references: 8821149
references: Eur J Appl Physiol. 2007 Jul;100(5):543-51
references: 16763836
references: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2006 Jun;290(6):H2239-46
references: 16399856
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2003 Jan;94(1):108-18
references: 12391034
references: Muscle Nerve. 2005 Jan;31(1):78-87
references: 15570580
references: Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2001 Jul;29(3):109-12
references: 11474957
references: Exp Brain Res. 1996 Oct;111(3):483-6
references: 8911944
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2004 Jun;96(6):2125-32
references: 14966025
references: J Pain Symptom Manage. 2007 Mar;33(3):267-75
references: 17349496
references: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Feb;34(2):364-80
references: 11828249
references: J Physiol. 1992 Feb;447:563-73
references: 1593460
references: J Neurosci. 2003 Nov 12;23(32):10224-30
references: 14614080
references: Exp Brain Res. 2005 Nov;167(2):165-77
references: 16044306
references: J Physiol. 2005 Mar 1;563(Pt 2):621-31
references: 15613373
references: J Physiol. 2002 Dec 15;545(3):1027-40
references: 12482905
references: Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2003 Feb;284(2):R399-404
references: 12399249
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2005 Sep;99(3):890-7
references: 15879165
references: J Physiol. 2001 Nov 1;536(Pt 3):657-65
references: 11691862
references: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005 May;6(5):389-97
references: 15861181
references: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 Mar;39(3):443-53
references: 17473770
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2007 Mar;102(3):1000-6
references: 17095642
references: Clin Neurophysiol. 2007 Sep;118(9):2063-71
references: 17646129
references: Muscle Nerve. 1984 Nov-Dec;7(9):691-9
references: 6100456
references: Sports Med. 2006;36(4):279-91
references: 16573355
references: Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1994 Feb;93(1):49-56
references: 7511522
references: Exp Brain Res. 2004 Dec;159(4):530-6
references: 15249989
references: J Neurophysiol. 2002 Dec;88(6):3087-96
references: 12466432
references: J Neurosci. 2006 May 3;26(18):4796-802
references: 16672652
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 1997 Jun;82(6):2011-9
references: 9173971
references: Mult Scler. 2007 Jan;13(1):73-80
references: 17294614
references: J Neurosci Methods. 1988 Sep;25(2):97-102
references: 3172828
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2005 Aug;99(2):389-96
references: 16020434
references: J Physiol. 1954 Mar 29;123(3):553-64
references: 13152698
references: Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1992;64(3):237-43
references: 1563369
references: J Physiol. 2001 Sep 15;535(Pt 3):929-36
references: 11559785
references: Sports Med. 2003;33(3):167-76
references: 12656638
references: Muscle Nerve. 2007 May;35(5):657-66
references: 17294440
references: Adv Physiol Educ. 2006 Jun;30(2):51-7
references: 16709733
references: J Neurophysiol. 1983 Jan;49(1):16-27
references: 6827293
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2006 Oct;101(4):1036-44
references: 16728525
references: J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2007 Jun;17(3):264-74
references: 16790358
references: Muscle Nerve. 2007 Feb;35(2):135-58
references: 17195169
references: Neurosci Lett. 2004 Feb 6;356(1):61-5
references: 14746902
references: Eur J Appl Physiol. 2003 Oct;90(3-4):405-10
references: 12827367
references: J Physiol. 1960 Feb;150:417-39
references: 13805874
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2006 Mar;100(3):890-5
references: 16282429
references: Eur J Appl Physiol. 2007 Jul;100(5):515-25
references: 16718508
references: J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1981 Nov;51(5):1131-5
references: 7298453
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2001 Sep;91(3):1055-60
references: 11509498
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2007 Aug;103(2):560-8
references: 17463302
references: Med Sci Sports. 1979 Winter;11(4):313-21
references: 530021
references: Neuroimage. 2007 May 15;36(1):108-22
references: 17408973
references: Adv Exp Med Biol. 1995;384:361-80
references: 8585465
references: Muscle Nerve. 1997 Jun;20(6):710-7
references: 9149078
references: Muscle Nerve. 1995 Jun;18(6):593-600
references: 7753121
references: Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2004 Apr;32(2):44-9
references: 15064647
references: J Physiol. 1986 Oct;379:451-9
references: 3560001
references: Mov Disord. 2007 Feb 15;22(3):297-308
references: 17133511
references: Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2005 Jan;33(1):9-16
references: 15640715
references: J Physiol. 1993 Nov;471:787-99
references: 8120833
references: Muscle Nerve. 2005 Nov;32(5):647-55
references: 16025523
references: Muscle Nerve. 1996 Jul;19(7):861-9
references: 8965840
references: J Physiol. 1992 Aug;454:643-56
references: 1335508
references: J Physiol. 1996 Jan 15;490 ( Pt 2):519-28
references: 8821148
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 1986 Aug;61(2):421-9
references: 3745035
references: Exp Brain Res. 1989;76(1):55-63
references: 2753109
references: Eur J Appl Physiol. 2005 May;94(1-2):196-206
references: 15791418
references: J Physiol. 2000 Jun 15;525 Pt 3:793-801
references: 10856130
references: Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2007 Jul;35(3):110-8
references: 17620929
references: Exp Brain Res. 1996 Mar;108(2):305-14
references: 8815038
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 1992 May;72(5):1631-48
references: 1601767
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2003 Jun;94(6):2414-22
references: 12562681
references: J Physiol. 2006 Nov 15;577(Pt 1):353-67
references: 16945975
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2006 Mar;100(3):780-5
references: 16282433
references: J Biomech Eng. 1998 Oct;120(5):625-33
references: 10412441
references: Exp Brain Res. 1998 Jul;121(1):99-102
references: 9698195
references: J Physiol. 2006 Jun 1;573(Pt 2):511-23
references: 16556656
references: Prog Neurobiol. 2004 Mar;72(4):223-61
references: 15142684
references: J Physiol. 1973 Nov;234(3):723-48
references: 4148752
references: Respir Physiol. 1999 May 3;115(3):273-86
references: 10424357
references: J Physiol. 1990 Apr;423:1-14
references: 2388146
references: J Physiol. 2002 Nov 15;545(1):313-9
references: 12433971
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2005 Sep;99(3):1182-8
references: 15845774
references: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Apr;35(4):589-94
references: 12673141
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2004 Jan;96(1):195-202
references: 14514707