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Electrically Elicited Fatigue Test of the Quadriceps Femoris Muscle: Description and Reliability

Ms. McDonnell is Supervisor, General Medicine and Orthopedics, Department of Physical Therapy, Irene Walter Johnson Institute of Rehabilitation, Washington University School of Medicine, 509 S Euclid Ave, PO Box 8062, St. Louis, MO 63110 (USA), and Instructor, Program in Physical Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine.
Mr. Delitto is Instructor, Program in Physical Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, and Consulting Physical Therapist, Department of Physical Therapy, Irene Walter Johnson Institute of Rehabilitation. He is also a doctoral student, Department of Psychology, Washington University.
Mr. Sinacore is a doctoral student, Department of Anatomy, West Virginia University Medical Center, Morgantown, WV 26506. He was Instructor, Program in Physical Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, and Consulting Physical Therapist, Department of Physical Therapy, Irene Walter Johnson Institute of Rehabilitation, when this study was conducted.
Dr. Rose is Director, Program in Physical Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, and Co-Director, Department of Physical Therapy, Irene Walter Johnson Institute of Rehabilitation.

The purposes of this study were 1) to develop an electrically elicited fatigue test (EEFT) that uses electrically elicited isometric muscle contractions and 2) to examine the reliability of this test on a group of healthy individuals. Fifteen subjects were tested on two occasions, one week apart. The subjects were seated and the left leg secured to an isokinetic dynamometer with the knee positioned at 45 degrees of flexion. Maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the quadriceps femoris muscle was obtained and resultant knee extension torque was recorded. The quadriceps femoris muscle then was stimulated 50 times at the current level that elicited a knee extension torque level equal to 60% of that obtained during the MVIC. Percentages of decline in torque were calculated. Test-retest reliability indexes were calculated for the means of contractions 21 to 25 (r = .82, ICC = .83) and for contractions 46 to 50 (r = .92, ICC = .82). The EEFT was found to be reliable and may provide a clinically applicable means of measuring peripheral muscle fatigue.

Key Words: Electric stimulation • Muscle contraction • Physical therapy

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				Y. Laufer, J. D. Ries, P. M Leininger, and G. Alon Quadriceps Femoris Muscle Torques and Fatigue Generated by Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation With Three Different Waveforms Physical Therapy, July 1, 2001; 81(7): 1307 - 1316. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]