title: Motor fatigability after low-intensity hand grip exercises in persons with multiple sclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During maximal, sustained contractions, persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) show higher motor fatigability in comparison with healthy persons. It is not known if motor fatigability is also different between PwMS and healthy persons during low-intensity exercises. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the difference in hand grip fatigability between healthy persons and PwMS for both hands during low-intensity hand grip exercises.
  
  
  METHODS
  19 PwMS and 19 healthy controls performed 18min of hand grip exercises at a maximum of 25% of the maximal voluntary strength, with an electronic hand dynamometer. Perceived fatigability, maximal hand grip strength and muscle activity (electromyography) of the wrist flexors and extensors were recorded in between these exercises for the dominant and non-dominant hand.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a significant decrease in maximal hand grip strength after exercising in both groups and for both hands, mainly situated in the first 6min. In contrast to what was hypothesized, PwMS did not show more decline in strength than healthy controls, neither in the dominant nor the non-dominant hand. There was no group difference in the increase of the perceived fatigability in the dominant hand. However, for the non-dominant hand, the perceived fatigability after exercising increased more in PwMS than in healthy controls. Additionally, there was no relation between fatigue indices, as assessed with short maximal contractions and the strength decline after low-intensity repetitive exercises.
authors.affiliation: REVAL-Rehabilitation Research Center, BIOMED - Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw A, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium. Electronic address: deborah.severijns@uhasselt.be.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Severijns
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation and MS centre, Boemerangsstraat 2, 3900 Overpelt, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lemmens
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Research, Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium; Division IMOMEC, IMEC vzw, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thoelen
authors.affiliation: REVAL-Rehabilitation Research Center, BIOMED - Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw A, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Feys
mesh_terms: D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004576:Electromyography; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059015:Wireless Technology; D014953:Wrist / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Fatigability; Hand strength; Motor fatigue; Multiple sclerosis