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Purpose This study aims to investigate whether mento-physical exercises can decrease mental fatigue during shift work.‏. Methods Research subjects including the control-room staff of an urban-train system were chosen randomly, for whom mental fatigue was assessed before and after rest-breaks for control and experimental groups. A new protocol was applied in the experimental group, including breathing exercises, isometric and isotonic exercises, and progressive relaxation during the inter-shift break. A designed questionnaire and the Stroop test were used to evaluate fatigue and reaction time, respectively. Results Pre and post-test results showed that mental, visual, and physical fatigue and reaction time decreased by 14.48%, 49.22%, 26.85%, and 8.35% in the control group and 36.42%, 48.48%, 76.37%, and 20.56% in the experimental group, respectively. Conclusions At 5% α level, the Student's t test showed that mento-physical exercises effectively decreased mental and physical fatigue as well as reaction time in the experimental group compared to the control group.

Dancers spend large amounts of time practicing and performing, where fatigue may occur, resulting in adverse movement patterns. The purpose of this study was to compare sauté landings before and after acute physical fatigue in experienced female dancers. Twenty-one dancers completed 10 sauté jumps before and after a dance-specific fatigue protocol. A 12-camera motion capture system and a force plate were utilized to collect three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data. After fatigue, dancers demonstrated an increase in mediolateral centre of mass displacement, pelvis excursion, peak knee abduction, peak ankle eversion and external rotation, as well as decreased peak metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint extension, indicating less desirable movement patterns. Peak vertical ground reaction force was decreased after fatigue due to a softer landing strategy, demonstrated by increased peak hip flexion, knee flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion. There was some indication of shifting demands demonstrated by an increased peak knee extensor moment and decreased peak MTP flexor moment after fatigue. With jump landing kinematics and kinetics affected after only an average of 5 minutes of dancing, dancers may benefit from developing greater endurance and more eccentric strength to allow them to slow down properly while landing and to sustain the aesthetic demands throughout performance.

Sleep and physical activity are independent predictors of energy and fatigue, but whether poor sleep quality moderates the association between physical activity and energy and fatigue remains uncle...

Introduction. A physiotherapist's work requires constant focus, concentration and good physical constitution. Nowadays, we can observe an increasing demand for physiotherapist services, as the number of patients and working hours are increasing. As a result, physiotherapists experience growing work-related load and fatigue. The aim of this study was to assess the degree and characteristics of fatigue in physiotherapists, as well as to assess its effect on the accuracy of their functional diagnosis and the therapeutic treatment they propose. Methods. The study population consisted of 18 physiotherapists. To assess subjective fatigue, we used the Japanese questionnaire, and to assess the number of mistakes made, we used two films made by our group that presented a functional examination of patients. Results. The analysis of fatigue in physiotherapists after a day's work showed a significant decrease in activity, decrease in motivation and increase in physical fatigue. The number of mistakes made after a day's work increased. Conclusions. The study showed that the work of physiotherapists negatively affects the levels of activity, motivation and physical strength. Diagnostic accuracy and physiotherapy planning was worse after a day's work. The occupation of a physiotherapists was categorized as psychologically burdening.

Purpose: The ability to perform motor imagery (MI) might be impaired by the physical fatigue elicited during training. Interestingly, there is also theoretical support for a more limited influence ...

Aim To evaluate fatigue in chronic hepatitis B patients and its related independent factors, as well as the relationship between fatigue and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Materials and methods The study enrolled 400 patients who met the selection criteria, and their sociodemographic information was collected. The 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Multidimensional fatigue inventory 20 (MFI-20) were adopted to evaluate HRQoL and fatigue level. Results Significant differences between the fatigue group and non-fatigue group were observed for the female proportion (p=0.021), height (p=0.003), and weight (p=0.010), with or without regular exercise (p=0.001). We further determined the dimensions of fatigue that were affected by these factors and found that male patients showed significantly lower results than female patients in terms of physical fatigue (p=0.048), mental fatigue (p=0.017), and reduced motivation (p=0.025). In patients who exercised regularly, the fatigue scores for the three dimensions of general fatigue (p

Background: Mental and physical energy and fatigue can be assessed as either stable long-term traits or as a temporary state. Although researchers recognize the need to separate the two, most resea...

Background: A regulation system in the central nervous system plays an important role in controlling physical performance during physical fatigue. Purpose: To clarify the neural mechanisms of this regulation system during physical fatigue using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and a classical conditioning technique. Methods: Eleven right-handed, healthy volunteers participated in this study. On the first experimental day, subjects performed fatigue-inducing maximum handgrips with their left hand for 10 min. Metronome sounds were started 5 min after beginning handgrip trials. The metronome sounds were used as conditioned stimuli and the maximum handgrip trials as unconditioned stimuli. The next day, subjects were randomly assigned to six groups in a single-blinded, three-crossover fashion to undergo three types of MEG recordings; that is, for control, inhibition, and facilitation sessions, while imagining maximum grip exercise by the left hand guided by the metronome sounds for 10 min. Results: Decreas...

Background: Mental fatigue manifests as a reduced efficiency of cognitive workload and has become a significant cause of accidents. It is important to clarify the neural relationships between physical fatigue and mental fatigue. Purpose: We sought to clarify the neural effect of physical fatigue on mental fatigue using magnetoencephalography (MEG), with high temporal resolution and relatively high spatial resolution and classical conditioning techniques. Methods: Fourteen right-handed volunteers participated in this study. On the first experimental day, participants performed fatigue-inducing mental task trials for 30 min. Metronome sounds, started just after the beginning of the trials, were used as conditioned stimuli and the mental task trials were used as unconditioned stimuli to induce mental fatigue. On the next day, MEG was recorded under an eyes-closed condition with the metronome sounds for 3 min just before (control session) and after a 10-min fatigue-inducing physical task session. Subj...

Objective: To assess development of objective, subjective and indirect measures of fatigue during simulated infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with two different methods.Methods: Using a neonatal manikin, 17 subject-pairs were randomized in a crossover design to provide 5-min CPR with a 3:1 chest compression (CC) to ventilation (C:V) ratio and continuous CCs at a rate of 120 min−1 with asynchronous ventilations (CCaV-120). We measured participants’ changes in heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP); perceived level of fatigue on a validated Likert scale; and manikin CC measures.Results: CCaV-120 compared with a 3:1 C:V ratio resulted in a change during 5-min of CPR in HR 49 versus 40 bpm (p = 0.01), and MAP 1.7 versus −2.8 mmHg (p = 0.03); fatigue rated on a Likert scale 12.9 versus 11.4 (p = 0.2); and a significant decay in CC depth after 90 s (p = 0.03).Conclusions: The results indicate a trend toward more fatigue during simulated CPR in CCaV-120 compared to the recommended 3:1 ...

Objective and subjective methods have been used in the past to assess workplace fatigue, but little is known about correlations between them. We examine correlations between subjective and objective measures, including measures collected in a workplace scenario.15 young and 17 older participants were assessed before and after work with four types of fatigue measure: objective physical (posturography), objective mental (psychomotor vigilance task), subjective physical and mental (self-assessment), objective and subjective realistic (oculomotor behaviour, observer-rated facial expression, typing performance).Pre- and post-test scores were analysed with an ANOVA, significant differences were submitted to a factor analysis. It yielded three factors: one representing posturography, the second self-rated mental and physical fatigue and the third observer-rated facial expression.Results advocate the existence of three independent fatigue components: Objective physical fatigue, introspective and extrospective fatigue. Practitioner Summary: This study analyses correlations between different subjective and objective fatigue markers to better understand the complex nature of workplace fatigue. Measurements were conducted directly at the workplace. Results reveal that fatigue comprises three independent fatigue components: Objective physical fatigue, introspective and extrospective fatigue.

ObjectivesThis study examined the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF) in a community-based sample of African-Americans.DesignA sample of 340 African-Americans (116 men, 224 women) ranging in age from 18-81 years were recruited from the community (e.g., churches, health fairs, and beauty salons). Participants completed a brief demographic survey, the MFSI-SF and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.ResultsThe structural validity of the MFSI-SF for a community-based sample of African-Americans was not supported. The five dimensions of fatigue (General, Emotional, Physical, Mental, Vigor) found for Whites in prior research were not found for African-Americans in this study. Instead, fatigue, while multidimensional for African-Americans, was best represented by a unique four-four profile in which general and emotional fatigue are collapsed into a single dimension and physical fatigue, mental fatigue, and vigor are relatively distinct. Hence, in the absence of modifications, the MFSI-SF cannot be considered to be structurally invariant across ethnic groups. A modified four-factor version of the MFSI-SF exhibited excellent internal consistency reliability and evidence supports its convergent validity. Using the modified four-factor version, gender, and age were not meaningfully associated with MFSI-SF scores.ConclusionFuture research should further examine whether modifications to the MFSI-SF would, as the findings suggest, improve its validity as a measure of multidimensional fatigue in African-Americans.

Fatigue is a concern for both people with insomnia and with depression, yet it remains poorly understood. Participants (N = 62) included those meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text revision) criteria for insomnia and major depressive disorder (MDD). Multiple regression examined sleep, mood, activity, and cognitive factors as predictors of mental and physical fatigue. Only the cognitive factors (i.e., unhelpful beliefs about sleep and symptom-focused rumination) were predictive of both physical and mental fatigue. Beliefs about not being able to function and needing to avoid activities after a poor night of sleep were related to both types of fatigue. Targeting these beliefs via cognitive therapy and encouraging patients to test maladaptive beliefs about sleep may enhance fatigue response in those with MDD and insomnia.

The purpose of the paper was to study the features of the wrestler's motor skills (using the example of the flying mare-shoulder throw) along with progressive physical fatigue after specific loading. The experimental research devoted to the studies of stability of motor skill along with specially modeled physical fatigue were made with laboratory experiments on the members of the national Russian Greco-Roman wrestling youth team. Three stages were revealed and described in the dynamics of time indices of single throw phases, associated with the application of the motor skill within progressive physical fatigue (warming-up, stabilization and fatigue phases). The results experimentally substantiated the technique of pre-season improvement of elite wrestlers' individual technical mastership.

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS This study developed and evaluated a quantitative model relating dimensions of occupational fatigue and performance among registered nurses. Fatigue is a likely contributing factor to medical errors, with implications for both patient and provider safety. Thus, there is an ongoing need to further understand, define, and quantify the effects of fatigue on performance in healthcare workers, particularly nurses. The final model developed here supports existing evidence that mental and physical fatigue are distinct dimensions that contribute to a separate construct—total fatigue. Further, mental and physical fatigue dimensions had both direct and indirect effects on perceptions of mental and physical performance in this population. This model can be used by practitioners to evaluate fatigue interventions and estimate potential changes in perceived performance based on subjective measures of performance. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: While fatigue has been linked to performance decre...

International audience; Objective: To look for a relationship between physical fatigue and physical parameters in patients at least 3 months post stroke. Methods: We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study of 32 poststroke patients (average duration of stroke 40 months) who were recruited among in- and outpatients followed by the Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine of a university hospital. Fatigue was defi ned as a Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) score of 4 or more. The parameters studied were age, sex, time since stroke, Demeurisse Motor Index, Barthel Index score, new Functional Ambulation Category, Berg Balance Scale, 10-meter walk test, 6-minute walk test, Dijon Physical Activity Score, Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, presence of pain, and length and area of the center of pressure displacement obtained posturographically. Results: Two-thirds of patients (65.6%) were fatigued. The mean FSS score was 4.3 ± 1.8. Fatigue was not associated with the physical parameters studied; notably, there was no correlation with motor impairment, autonomy and walking capacity, or balance and physical activity. However, after multivariate analysis, we found an association between physical fatigue and time since the occurrence of stroke (P = .05). Conclusions: Our study revealed a relationship between pain and physical fatigue, as reported by 2 other studies. Poststroke fatigue management should include appropriate pain management. Further studies are necessary to determine the causes of physical fatigue after stroke.

This study examined the impact of caffeine ingestion on field hockey skill performance following high-intensity fatigue. Thirteen male hockey players (mean age = 21.1 ± 1.2 years) performed hockey sprint dribble and ball handling tests at rest and after a bout of total body fatigue (90% maximal capacity) following caffeine (5 mg kg(-1)) or placebo ingestion. Sprint dribble times were slower postfatigue compared with rest but were significantly faster postfatigue with caffeine compared with postfatigue with placebo ingestion (P < 0.01). Ball handling scores were higher at rest compared with postfatigue, but scores postfatigue were higher following caffeine than placebo ingestion (P < 0.01). Rating of perceived exhaustion (RPE) was lower (P < 0.01) and readiness to invest physical (P < 0.01) and mental effort (P = 0.01) were significantly higher in the caffeine condition. Caffeine ingestion may therefore be effective in offsetting decrements in skilled performance associated with fatigue.

Central fatigue refers to a progressive decline in the ability to activate muscles voluntarily. Although fatigue-related inhibitory input to the motor cortex from group III and IV afferents that carry sensory information is thought to contribute to the fatigue-related changes in the motor cortex, other sites effectively driving the motor cortex during physical fatigue have not been identified. Contribution of a mirror visual feedback system to regulate physical fatigue was examined. The study group consisted of 12 healthy participants who performed 60 repetitive left handgrips at maximal voluntary contraction every 1 s as a fatigue-inducing physical task session. Before and after the session, left and right handgrip forces were measured for fatigue evaluation. After the fatigue-inducing task session, handgrip forces of the right and left hands were reduced. Although there was no difference in the reduced level of the handgrip force of the right hand between the sessions with and without a Ramacha...

Intense exercise performed to exhaustion stresses numerous bodily systems and produces task failure. Although the locus of fatigue appears to be primarily myocellular, this does not minimize the im...

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:29:59Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:32:45Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-84880334898.pdf: 257892 bytes, checksum: 84db1c1eb773d075e469a260f1326fec (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:29:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-07-22 Background: Artistic Gymnastics is a sport where athletes are frequently fatigued. One element that might influence this aspect is carbohydrate, an important energy substrate for the muscles and the CNS. Our goal was to investigate the influence of fatigue over artistic gymnastics athlete's performance and the effects of a carbohydrate supplementation on their performance. Methods: We evaluated 15 athletes divided in 2 groups (control and fatigue) from 12 to 14 years old in two different experimental days. On the first day (water day), they did 5 sets of exercises on the balance beam (experimental protocol) ingesting only water, CG (control group) warmed up before the experimental protocol and FG (fatigue group) did a fatigue circuit, warm up exercises and then the experimental protocol. On the second day (carbohydrate day), we used the same protocol but CG ingested a sugar free flavored juice and FG ingested a 20% concentration maltodextrin solution before the protocol on the balance beam. Results: We observed a greater number of falls from the balance beam from the FG on the first day (5.40 ± 1.14 FG vs 3.33 ± 1.37 CG; p = 0.024) and a decrease in the number of falls on the second day (2.29 ± 1.25 FG water day vs 5.40 ± 1.14 FG carbohydrate day; p = 0.0013). Carbohydrate solution was able to supply muscle demands and improve the athlete's focus showed by the reduced number of falls. © 2013 Batatinha et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Mackenzie Presbyterian University, 546, Taquari St, Moóca, Sao Paulo São Judas Tadeu University, Sao Paulo Department of Physical Education São Paulo State University UNESP, SP Department of Physical Education São Paulo State University UNESP, SP

A laboratory study was conducted (1) to evaluate the effects of lifting frequency and technique on maximum acceptable work loads using psychophysical measurement technique, and (2) to compare the physiological fatigue criteria of 5 Kcal/min with the psychophysical fatigue criteria by measuring the metabolic rates at maximum acceptable work loads determined by subjective estimates of physical fatigue. Six male college students were required to lift from the floor to a 0.5 m height for 40 minutes. Four levels of lifting frequency (3, 6, 9 and 12 lifts/min) and three different lifting techniques (free sytle, stooped back and straight-back, bent-knee) were employed. Oxygen consumption rates were measured at maximum acceptable work loads (and were reduced to STPD). Statistical analysis showed that the maximum work loads acceptable to the workers were significantly affected by both lifting frequency and technique. Maximum acceptable work loads increased with an increase in lifting frequency. Both the subjective estimates of physical fatigue and the metabolic energy expenditure rate favored the free style lifting technique. The measured metabolic rates were in agreement with the physiological fatigue criteria of 5 Kcal/min only for six of the twelve combinations of lifting frequency and technique. Use of the physiological fatigue criteria will result in more liberal standards of work load at low work paces, especially for the stooped back and the free style lifting techniques.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in learning to perform a novel motor task between two equated groups: one group was subjected to learning the task immediately following a heavy physical work bout on a bicycle ergometer; the other group was subjected to learning the task with no imposed physical exercise. It was found that the subjects who practiced the stabilometer exercise in a fatigued state performed significantly better than subjects in the control group except for test 4. The experimental group also performed significantly better than the control group during the 5th test which was performed without any fatiguing task. It appears from this study that the fatigue state of the learner had a favorable influence on both performance and learning of certain novel motor skills.

An attempt was made to interfere with learning on a continuous rotational fine motor foot-tracking task by maximizing the effects of artificially increased mass (moment of inertia) through the employment of massed practice (MP). College men (N = 120) performed the first 25 trials under one of the following assigned practice conditions: C, E–1 (MP), E–2 (medium mass and MP), and E–3 (heavy mass and MP). After a 5-min rest, all groups performed the last 10 trials under control conditions. With the exception of C, there was no significant improvement in prerest performance for the three experimental groups. However, significant learning occurred in all groups with no difference in the amount learned among groups. There was no change in leg strength measured before and after tracking and little relationship between it and performance and learning. It was pointed out that severe, related physical fatigue, introduced before and maintained throughout early learning, offers the best chance to significant...

Four groups of subjects, each consisting of 30 male college students, were assigned either to the rho motor learning test (speed) or the pursuit rotor motor learning test (accuracy) under either control or experimental conditions. Practice on each task lasted approximately 30 min. and resulted in large amounts of learning. Interpolated severe local physical fatigue was induced by exercising the experimental groups on an arm ergometer halfway through the learning of each task. The experimental groups suffered a 40 percent decrement in performance as a result of the interpolated fatigue, but the amount of learning was not influenced.

This article describes the development of computerized human simulation models to assist in designing or analyzing manual jobs. The philosophy of computer assisted job design is discussed. Two existing models from The University of Michigan are then presented. One model predicts the normal time to perform a manual task, and the second model predicts the reach capability and preferred body position of the working population when reaching to specific locations in the work-place. Other models that are being developed to predict learning rates, human force capabilities, and physical fatigue rates are briefly described.

The status of physical fatigue as a variable affecting performance and/or learning of a gross motor skill was investigated. Three groups practiced ten 30-second trials on the Bachman ladder with a 90-second intertrial interval (Day 1). Two fatigue groups rode a bicycle ergometer for two minutes prior to Trial 1, and thereafter, for 75 seconds between each subsequential ladder trial at work loads of 750 (N = 13) and 1200 (N = 14) kgm/min., respectively. A control group (N = 20) cancelled vowels between trials. All groups returned two days later (Day 2) for four trials with intertrial rest, the mean of which was the criterion of amount learned. Fatiguing activity caused decrements in Day 1 performance (F = 3.32), but failed to affect Day 2 performance (F = .47), indicating that fatigue was a performance variable rather than a learning variable.