FORCE FLUCTUATIONS DO NOT DIFFER WITH LOAD TYPE DURING

SUSTAINED CONTRACTIONS WITH THE ELBOW FLEXOR MUSCLES

Thorsten Rudroff, Jamie Justice, Stephen Matthews, Roger Enoka

Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA

Time to failure for sustained submaximal contractions of the elbow flexors was briefer while
supporting an inertial load (position task) compared with exerting an equivalent torque against a
rigid restraint (force task) at 20% of maximal force (MVC). One of the factors that may
contribute to the differences in time to failure is that the elbow flexors perform more mechanical
work during the position task and therefore fatigue more rapidly. Because mechanical work is the
product of the force acting on a body and the direction of the applied force, greater fluctuations
in motor output during the position task may indicate that the muscles perform more work. The
purpose of this study was to determine the fluctuations in motor output of the elbow flexors
directly and to examine the time to failure for the force and position tasks during low and high
intensity contractions. Subjects performed both force and position tasks at 20% and 60% MVC
force as long as possible. The net muscle torque for each subject was identical for the force and
position tasks. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded in both heads of biceps brachii,
brachioradialis, and triceps brachii using surface electrodes. Variability in motor output was
quantified as the coefficient of variation (CV) in force that was measured by a force transducer
during both tasks. Time to failure for the position task at 20% MVC was briefer than that that for
the force task (286 ± 44 and 846 ± 228, P = 0.03), whereas it was similar when the contraction
intensity was at 60% MVC (95 ± 17 and 89 ± 19, P = 0.8). The amplitude of average EMG (%
MVC) for the elbow flexors during both tasks was greater at high intensity contractions (58 ±
12% MVC) than at low intensities (30 ± 6% MVC, P < 0.001). The rate of increase in EMG
activity was similar for both tasks at high intensity contractions; however, at low intensities the
rate of increase in EMG activity was greater for the position task compared with the force task.
The calculated force fluctuations during the force and position tasks at high and low intensity
contractions were similar: the coefficient of variation for force was 2.6 ± 1.2% and 1.8 ± 0.2%
during force and position tasks at high contraction intensity (P = 0.3) and 2.3 ± 0.8 and 2.3 ±
0.2% at low contraction intensity (P = 0.9). The similarity in time to failure for both tasks at
high contraction intensities and similar force fluctuations for force and position tasks at both
contraction intensities fails to support the explanation that mechanical work is the primary cause
of the briefer time to failure of the position task.
Supported by NINDS (NS43275)