CHANGES IN CONDUCTION-VELOCITY, MEDIAN FREQUENCY, AND ROOT MEAN SQUARE-AMPLITUDE OF THE ELECTROMYOGRAM DURING 25-PERCENT MAXIMAL VOLUNTARY CONTRACTION OF THE TRICEPS BRACHII MUSCLE, TO LIMIT OF ENDURANCE

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether isometric contraction of the right triceps brachii muscle, of maximal duration and at 25% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), would reduce mean fibre conduction velocity (CV) for the active motor units (MU). In addition to the cross-correlation of surface electromyograms (EMG) for CV determination, median frequency (fm) and root-mean-square amplitude (rms-amplitude) were calculated. The initial 5 min of the recovery of the three parameters was also investigated. The MVC were performed before and after the sustained contraction. Seven males - six in their twenties and one aged 43 - participated in the investigation. Mean CV for the unfatigued muscle was 4.5 m.s-1, SD 0.38. On average, CV decreased less than 10% during the sustained contraction (P < 0.05). The fm decreased almost linearly (46%) during the endurance time, while three quarters of the 250% increase in rms-amplitude took place during the last 50% of the contraction (P < 0.001), both parameters). The MVC was reduced by 39% immediately after exhaustion (P < 0.05). During the 1st min of recovery the rms-amplitude decreased by 50%, and the fm increased from 54% to 82% of the initial value (both P < 0.05). No measurable simultaneous CV restitution occurred. A parallel 15% increase in fm and CV took place during the last 4 min of recovery (both P < 0.001), while the amplitude remained constant. Since mean CV was essentially unchanged during the last 50% of the endurance time where large changes in fm and rms-amplitude occurred, factors supplementary to CV probably caused the striking changes in fatigue EMG, notably - MU recruitment, synchronization of MU activity, and lowering of MU firing frequencies. Nevertheless, during the last 4 min of recovery the entire increase in fm could be accounted for by the simultaneous increase in CV.