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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of fatigue on musculoarticular stiffness (MAS) of the ankle joint across sexes. Methods: Twenty-seven males and 26 females participated in the study. After baseline assessment of MAS and related variables, localised fatigue was induced in triceps surae using the standing heel-rise test during which the subjects were instructed to lift and drop the heel at a frequency of 0.5 Hz. When subjects were unable to continue due to exhaustion the test was terminated and another MAS test was performed soon after. Results: Significant higher triceps surae MAS was found in men compared to women (p < .01). MAS decreased (p < .01) between pre- and post-fatigue on average from 18.0 to 17.0 KN m−1 and from 14.5 to 13.9 KN m−1 in men and women, respectively. Percentage changes revealed, however, that in relative terms the changes in all the variables evaluated were similar (p > .01) between sexes, with MAS less than 5%. Conclusion: Despite the sex-related differences at baseline, fatigue seems to affect biomechanical properties of the ankle joint similarly in men and women.
Description
Keywords
Fatigue Stiffness Ankle Muscle-tendon unit Gender
Citation
Faria, A., Gabriel, R., Moreira, H., Camacho, T., Brás, R., & Ditroilo, M. (2018). The effect of sex and localised fatigue on triceps surae musculoarticular stiffness. European journal of sport science, 18(4), 483-490.