Our last post was on the effect of mental fatigue on clinical decision tools for injury risk. Now we can top that up with a twin study looking at physical fatigue. Same overall conclusions, fatigue affects the outcome of employed screening tests. Consider then that when injuries occur on the field … usually, some form of acute fatigue is present.
Methods
The aim of the study was to assess the impact of acute physical fatigue, induced by a 30 s modified Wingate protocol, on lower extremity functional and neurocognitive performance tests. In a randomized counterbalanced cross-over study, we studied 20 recreational athletes (age 1⁄4 24 ± 3 years). We evaluated fatigue impairments following a 30 s all-out effort in three traditional and one neurocognitive functional performance test. The traditional functional performance tests encompassed the single-leg hop for distance (SLH), countermovement jump (CMJ) and Y-balance test (YBT). The neurocognitive functional performance test encompassed the reactive balance test (RBT). A 30 s modified Wingate was used to inducing acute physical fatigue.
Results
Acute physical fatigue was successfully induced as indicated by a significant increase in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, blood lactate levels and rating of perceived exertion (p < 0.001). Acute physical fatigue induced significant decreases in RBT accuracy (p 1⁄4 0.004) and SLH performance (p < 0.001). YBT, CMJ and RBT visuomotor reaction time remained unaffected by acute physical fatigue. Conclusions: Acute physical fatigue impairs SLH performance and decreases accuracy in the RBT. YBT and CMJ performance remained unaffected by acute physical fatigue. Clinicians should be aware of these divergent neurocognitive functional impairments caused by one all-out effort to allow a well-informed selection of functional performance tests.
RBT accuracy.
* Significant difference between FATIGUE and CON (P < 0.05).
^ Significant difference with preceding outcome within intervention (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Acute physical fatigue, induced by a 30 s Modified Wingate, decreases RBT accuracy and SLH performance with no effects on YBT or CMJ performance. Researchers and clinicians should be aware of these divergent neurocognitive and functional impairments caused by one all-out effort to allow a well-informed selection of specific functional performance tests. Future research towards neurocognitive functional performance tests and the monitoring of individual fatigue responses is warranted within the injury prevention and return to sport domain.
The full paper can be accessed here (paywalled)
Jo Verschueren, Bruno Tassignon, Evert Verhagen, Romain Meeusen. The interaction of acute physical fatigue with three traditional functional performance tests and the reactive balance test. Physical Therapy in Sport 49 (2021) 188e195