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Muscle fatigue is a commonly experienced phenomenon that limits athletic performance and other strenuous or prolonged activity. It can be described as a feeling or sensation of weakness or muscle pain. It is caused by a decrease in the maximum force or power that the involved muscles can produce, which develops gradually soon after the onset of sustained physical activity. Muscle fatigue can occur in two basic mechanisms: peripheral fatigue, which is produced by changes at or distal to the neuromuscular junction, and central fatigue, which originates at the central nervous system (CNS) and decreases the neural drive to the muscle.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Muscle fatigue is a decrease in the maximum force or power that the involved muscles can produce. |
| Cause | Repeated, intense use of muscles. |
| Mechanism | Peripheral fatigue is produced by changes at or distal to the neuromuscular junction. Central fatigue originates at the central nervous system (CNS), which decreases the neural drive to the muscle. |
| Symptoms | Weakness, muscle pain, failure to maintain the required or expected force. |
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What You'll Learn
Central fatigue
Muscle fatigue can be described as a feeling of weakness or muscle pain. It is a decline in performance that can limit athletic performance and other strenuous or prolonged activity. It can be caused by repeated, intense use of muscles, and it can also be influenced by neurological, muscular, and cardiovascular disorders, as well as ageing and frailty.
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Peripheral fatigue
Muscle fatigue is a commonly experienced phenomenon that limits athletic performance and other strenuous or prolonged activity. It can also increase and restrict daily life under various pathological conditions, including neurological, muscular (e.g. MND) and cardiovascular disorders, as well as ageing and frailty. When you experience peripheral fatigue, the force behind your muscles' movements decreases, causing you to feel weaker.
Physical exercise affects the biochemical equilibrium within the exercising muscle cells. For example, inorganic phosphate (in ATP), protons, lactate (see anaerobic capacity) and free Mg2+ (an electrolyte) accumulate within these cells. Peripheral fatigue can be quantified by interrupting fatiguing exercise with brief maximal contractions (voluntary or electrically evoked) to estimate the decline in the maximal force capacity.
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Intense use of muscles
Muscle fatigue can be caused by repeated, intense use of muscles, which leads to a decline in performance. This phenomenon is commonly experienced by athletes and those engaging in strenuous or prolonged activity. It can also be a factor in daily life, particularly for those with neurological, muscular or cardiovascular disorders, as well as those experiencing ageing and frailty.
When muscles are used intensely, the force behind their movements decreases, resulting in a feeling of weakness or muscle pain. This can be described as a "failure to maintain the required or expected force". Intense muscle use affects the biochemical equilibrium within the exercising muscle cells, leading to an accumulation of substances such as inorganic phosphate (in ATP), protons, lactate and free Mg2+ (an electrolyte).
The development of muscle fatigue can be quantified by interrupting fatiguing exercise with brief maximal contractions to estimate the decline in maximal force capacity. This protocol helps determine the amount of muscle fatigue caused by a specific intervention or activity.
Muscle fatigue can also be categorised as central or peripheral fatigue. Central fatigue originates in the central nervous system (CNS) and decreases the neural drive to the muscle. It is caused by an inhibition elicited by nervous impulses from receptors in the fatigued muscles. Peripheral fatigue, on the other hand, is produced by changes at or distal to the neuromuscular junction. It may be caused by the depletion of necessary substances or the accumulation of catabolites and other substances released by muscle activity.
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Failure to maintain force
Muscle fatigue is a decrease in the maximum force or power that muscles can produce. It is a commonly experienced phenomenon that limits athletic performance and other strenuous or prolonged activity. It can be described as a feeling or sensation of weakness or muscle pain.
Muscle fatigue can be defined as a failure to maintain the required or expected force. It is a reversible decline in an objective measure of performance (maximum voluntary contraction) that occurs as a result of both submaximal and maximal exercise. The force behind the muscles' movements decreases, causing a feeling of weakness. This can be due to decreases in the voluntary activation of the muscle, which is caused by decreases in the number of recruited motor units and their discharge rate.
Muscle fatigue can be caused by repeated, intense use of muscles. It can also be caused by changes at or distal to the neuromuscular junction, such as the depletion of some necessary substance(s) and/or the accumulation of catabolites or other substances set free by the muscle activity. For example, inorganic phosphate (in ATP), protons, lactate (see anaerobic capacity) and free Mg2+ (an electrolyte) accumulate within the muscle cells.
Central fatigue originates at the central nervous system (CNS), which decreases the neural drive to the muscle. It is caused by an inhibition elicited by nervous impulses from receptors (probably some kind of chemoreceptors) in the fatigued muscles. Peripheral fatigue, on the other hand, is produced by changes at or distal to the neuromuscular junction.
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Decrease in voluntary activation of the muscle
Muscle fatigue can be caused by a decrease in the voluntary activation of the muscle. This is due to a decrease in the number of recruited motor units and their discharge rate. Motor units are made up of motor neurons, peripheral nerves, motor endplates and muscle fibres. Peripheral fatigue is produced by changes at or distal to the neuromuscular junction. This may be caused by the depletion of some necessary substance(s) and/or the accumulation of catabolites or other substances set free by the muscle activity.
Central fatigue originates at the central nervous system (CNS), which decreases the neural drive to the muscle. It is caused by an inhibition elicited by nervous impulses from receptors (probably some kind of chemoreceptors) in the fatigued muscles. The inhibition may act on the motor pathways anywhere from the voluntary centres in the brain to the spinal motor neurons.
Muscle fatigue can be described as a feeling or sensation of weakness or muscle pain. It is a decline in performance that limits athletic performance and other strenuous or prolonged activity. It can be caused by repeated, intense use of muscles. When you experience fatigue, the force behind your muscles’ movements decrease, causing you to feel weaker.
A common protocol used to quantify the development of muscle fatigue is to interrupt the fatiguing exercise with brief maximal contractions (voluntary or electrically evoked) to estimate the decline in the maximal force capacity. The amount of muscle fatigue caused by an intervention can be quantified as the decline in the maximal force or power measured immediately after the fatiguing contraction.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscle fatigue is a decrease in the maximum force or power that muscles can produce. It is a commonly experienced phenomenon that limits athletic performance and other strenuous or prolonged activity.
Muscle fatigue can be caused by repeated, intense use of muscles. It can also be caused by neurological, muscular, or cardiovascular disorders, as well as ageing and frailty.
Muscle fatigue results in a decline in performance. It can lead to a feeling of weakness or muscle pain.
Muscle fatigue can occur through central and peripheral fatigue. Central fatigue originates in the central nervous system (CNS) and decreases the neural drive to the muscle. Peripheral fatigue is produced by changes at or distal to the neuromuscular junction.
Muscle fatigue can be quantified by interrupting fatiguing exercise with brief maximal contractions to estimate the decline in maximal force capacity.
