title: Fatigue after physical activity in healthy and balance-impaired elderly.
abstract: This study aimed to determine whether physical activity similar to daily living results in signs and sensations of fatigue in healthy old, balance-impaired old, and healthy young adults. Sensations of general tiredness, leg tiredness, knee-extension and hip-abduction strength, and temporospatial gait variables were measured before, immediately after, and up to 20 min after moderate-intensity physical activity. After activity, all groups reported increased levels of tiredness but showed no changes in strength. The balance-impaired had greater and more prolonged feelings of tiredness, with a mean increase before to immediately after activity of 3.6 on the visual analogue scale and no recovery at 16 min. The young and healthy old had an increase of 3 and 2.6, respectively, and had recovered before 16 min. In the balance-impaired group only, cadence slowed immediately after activity. It is proposed that these changes, in particular the prolonged feelings of tiredness, might limit daily activity.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia.
authors.forename: Thorlene
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Egerton
authors.forename: Sandra G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Brauer
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Cresswell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology