Date of Award

2014

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Athletic Training

Department

Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences

College

Human Sciences and Education

Faculty Advisor

David, Shannon

Description

Muscle fatigue is thought to cause a person’s exercise associated muscle cramps (EAMCs). However, there is little support that fatigue is the reason EAMCs occur. We examined if a fatigued muscle would make it more susceptible to an EAMC. Subjects were exposed to a cramping protocol, which included two seconds of stimulation with a minute rest until a muscle cramp was induced. The participant rested for 30 minutes and then completed a fatigue protocol. The subject performed reps of toe curls against a resistance band (sets of 10 curls with a one minute break in between sets) until muscle failure. Following fatigue, participants immediately completed the cramping protocol. Paired t-test analysis revealed that the change in cramp threshold frequency was not statistically significantly different in a fatigued flexor hallicus longus than in a rested flexor hallicus longus (t(9)= 1.69, p > .05). Although not statistically significant, results indicated a difference between the mean cramp threshold frequency in a fatigued flexor hallicus longus (25.80Hz ± 7.33) when compared to a rested flexor hallicus longus (28.20Hz ± 7.91) condition. Fatigue does not play a factor on EAMCs. Future studies should focus on a larger sample size and evaluation of other possible factors that influence EAMCs.

Rights

NDSU Policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/27401

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