Torso flexion modulates stiffness and reflex response.

Neuromuscular factors that contribute to spinal stability include trunk stiffness from passive and active tissues as well as active feedback from reflex response in the paraspinal muscles. Trunk flexion postures are a recognized risk factor for occupational low-back pain and may influence these stabilizing control factors. Sixteen healthy adult subjects participated in an experiment to record trunk stiffness and paraspinal muscle reflex gain during voluntary isometric trunk extension exertions. The protocol was designed to achieve trunk flexion without concomitant influences of external gravitational moment, i.e., decouple the effects of trunk flexion posture from trunk moment. Systems identification analyses identified reflex gain by quantifying the relation between applied force disturbances and time-dependent EMG response in the lumbar paraspinal muscles. Trunk stiffness was characterized from a second order model describing the dynamic relation between the force disturbances versus the kinematic response of the torso. Trunk stiffness increased significantly with flexion angle and exertion level. This was attributed to passive tissue contributions to stiffness. Reflex gain declined significantly with trunk flexion angle but increased with exertion level. These trends were attributed to correlated changes in baseline EMG recruitment in the lumbar paraspinal muscles. Female subjects demonstrated greater reflex gain than males and the decline in reflex gain with flexion angle was greater in females than in males. Results reveal that torso flexion influences neuromuscular factors that control spinal stability and suggest that posture may contribute to the risk of instability injury.     

Trunk stiffness and dynamics during active extension exertions

Spinal stability is related to the recruitment and control of active muscle stiffness. Stochastic system identification techniques were used to calculate the effective stiffness and dynamics of the trunk during active trunk extension exertions. Twenty-one healthy adult subjects (10 males, 11 females) wore a harness with a cable attached to a servomotor such that isotonic flexion preloads of 100, 135, and 170 N were applied at the T10 level of the trunk. A pseudorandom stochastic force sequence (bandwidth 0-10 Hz, amplitude +/-30 N) was superimposed on the preload causing small amplitude trunk movements. Nonparametric impulse response functions of trunk dynamics were computed and revealed that the system exhibited underdamped second-order behavior. Second-order trunk dynamics were determined by calculating the best least-squares fit to the IRF. The quality of the model was quantified by comparing estimated and observed displacement variance accounted for (VAF), and quality of the second-order fits was calculated as a percentage and referred to as fit accuracy. Mean VAF and fit accuracy were 87.8 +/- 4.0% and 96.0 +/- 4.3%, respectively, indicating that the model accurately represented active trunk kinematic response. The accuracy of the kinematic representation was not influenced by preload or gender. Mean effective stiffness was 2.78 +/- 0.96 N/mm and increased significantly with preload (p < 0.001), but did not vary with gender (p = 0.425). Mean effective damping was 314 +/- 72 Ns/m and effective trunk mass was 37.0 +/- 9.3 kg. We conclude that stochastic system identification techniques should be used to calculate effective trunk stiffness and dynamics.     

Effect of lumbar extensor fatigue on paraspinal muscle reflexes

Low back disorders are a frequent medical problem. Altered neuromuscular control of the spine has been associated with low back pain, and may contribute to its occurrence. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lumbar extensor fatigue on reflex delay and amplitude in the paraspinal muscles. Ten healthy males (20–22 years of age) were subjected to an anteriorly-directed perturbation applied at the inferior margin of the scapulae while standing quietly before and after a lumbar extensor fatiguing protocol. The fatiguing protocol consisted of multiple sets of back extensions and intermittent isometric maximum voluntary contraction on a Roman chair for 14 min until 60% of unfatigued lumbar extensor MVC was reached. Reflexes were recorded from the paraspinal muscles at the level of L4. Results indicated the mean reflex delay was 60 ± 18 ms and was not affected by fatigue (p = 0.278). Reflex amplitude increased 36 ± 32% with fatigue (p = 0.017). The increase in reflex amplitude may reflect an attempt to compensate for losses in muscle force capacity with fatigue in order to maintain sufficient spinal stability. However, additional studies are necessary to investigate the mechanisms of this fatigue-related change in paraspinal reflex.     

Influence of back muscle fatigue on lumbar reflex adaptation during sudden external force perturbations

There is still conflicting evidence about the influence of fatigue on trunk reflex activity. The aim of this study was to measure response latency and amplitude changes of lumbar and abdominal muscles after heavy external force perturbation applied to the trunk in the sagittal plane before and after back muscle fatigue, in expected and unexpected conditions. Ten healthy subjects in a semi-seated position, torso upright in a specific apparatus performed an intermittent back muscle fatigue protocol. EMG reflex activity of erector spinae (ES) and external oblique muscles were recorded in unexpected and in expected (self pre-activation) conditions. After fatigue, the normalized reflex amplitude of ES increased in expected and unexpected conditions (P < 0.05) while ES response latency was slightly decreased. Reflexes latencies for ES were systematically shorter (P < 0.05) of 25% in expected compared to unexpected conditions. These findings suggest that a large external force perturbation would elicit higher paraspinal magnitude responses and possible earlier activation in order to compensate the loss of muscular force after fatigue. Because of the seated position the postural adjustments were probably not triggered and thus explain the lack of abdominal activation. The self-anticipated pre-activation in order to counteract perturbations was not affected by fatigue illustrating the natural muscular activation to maintain trunk stability.     

Trunk muscle reflexes are elicited by small continuous perturbations in healthy subjects and patients with low-back pain

Low-back pain (LBP) has been recognized as the leading cause of disability worldwide. Lumbar instability has been considered as an important mechanism of LBP and one potential contributor to lumbar stability is trunk muscle reflex activity. However, due to the differences in experimental paradigms used to quantify trunk mechanics and trunk reflexes it remains unclear as to what extent the reflex pathway contributes to overall lumbar stability. The goal of this work was to determine to what extent reflexes of various trunk muscles were elicited by the small continuous perturbations normally used to quantify trunk mechanics. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was measured bilaterally from 3 trunk extensor muscles and 3 trunk flexor muscles at four epochs: 25–50 ms, 50–75 ms, 75–100 ms and 100–125 ms following each perturbation. Reflex activity was seen in all muscles as 34 of the 48 muscle-epoch combinations showed a significant reflex response to either perturbations in the forward or backward direction. However, the reflex EMG activity did not correlate with mechanical estimates of the reflex response. Thus, even though reflexes are indeed elicited by the small perturbations used to quantify trunk mechanics, their exact contribution to overall lumbar stability remains unknown.     

Role of reflex gain and reflex delay in spinal stability--a dynamic simulation

The goal of this study was to investigate the role of reflex and reflex time delay in muscle recruitment and spinal stability. A dynamic biomechanical model of the musculoskeletal spine with reflex response was implemented to investigate the relationship between reflex gain, co-contraction, and stability in the spine. The first aim of the study was to investigate how reflex gain affected co-contraction predicted in the model. It was found that reflexes allowed the model to stabilize with less antagonistic co-contraction and hence lower metabolic power than when limited to intrinsic stiffness alone. In fact, without reflexes there was no feasible recruitment pattern that could maintain spinal stability when the torso was loaded with 200N external load. Reflex delay is manifest in the paraspinal muscles and represents the time from a perturbation to the onset of reflex activation. The second aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between reflex delay and the maximum tolerable reflex gain. The maximum acceptable upper bound on reflex gain decreased logarithmically with reflex delay. Thus, increased reflex delay and reduced reflex gain requires greater antagonistic co-contraction to maintain spinal stability. Results of this study may help understanding of how patients with retarded reflex delay utilize reflex for stability, and may explain why some patients preferentially recruit more intrinsic stiffness than healthy subjects.     

Trunk response to sudden forward perturbations – Effects of preload and sudden load magnitudes,posture and abdominal antagonistic activation

Unexpected loading of the spine is a risk factor for low back pain. The trunk neuromuscular and kinematics responses are likely influenced by the perturbation itself as well as initial trunk conditions. The effect of four parameters (preload, sudden load, initial trunk flexed posture, initial abdominal antagonistic activity) on trunk kinematics and back muscles reflex response were evaluated. Twelve asymptomatic subjects participated in sudden forward perturbation tests under six distinct conditions. Preload did not change the reflexive response of back muscles and the trunk displacement; while peak trunk velocity and acceleration as well as the relative load peak decreased. Sudden load increased reflex response of muscles, trunk kinematics and loading variables. When the trunk was initially flexed, back muscles latency was delayed, trunk velocity and acceleration increased; however, reflex amplitude and relative trunk displacement remained unchanged. Abdominal antagonistic preactivation increased reflexive response of muscles but kinematics variables were not affected. Preload, initial flexed posture and abdominal muscles preactivation increased back muscles preactivity. Both velocity and acceleration peaks of the trunk movement decreased with preload despite greater total load. In contrast, they increased in the initial flexed posture and to some extent when abdominal muscles were preactivated demonstrating the distinct effects of pre-perturbation variables on trunk kinematics and risk of injury.     

Interaction of viscoelastic tissue compliance with lumbar muscles during passive cyclic flexion–extension

Human and animal models using electromyography (EMG) based methods have hypothesized that viscoelastic tissue properties becomes compromised by prolonged repetitive cyclic trunk flexion–extension which in turn influences muscular activation including the flexion–relaxation phenomenon. Empirical evidence to support this hypothesis, especially the development of viscoelastic tension–relaxation and its associated muscular response in passive cyclic activity in humans, is incomplete. The objective of this study was to examine the response of lumbar muscles to tension–relaxation development of the viscoelastic tissue during prolonged passive cyclic trunk flexion–extension. Activity of the lumbar muscles remained low and steady during the passive exercise session. Tension supplied by the posterior viscoelastic tissues decreased over time without corresponding changes in muscular activity. Active flexion, following the passive flexion session, elicited significant increase in paraspinal muscles EMG together with increase in the median frequency. It was concluded that reduction of tension in the lumbar viscoelastic tissues of humans occurs during cyclic flexion–extension and is compensated by increased activity of the musculature in order to maintain stability. It was also concluded that the ligamento-muscular reflex is inhibited during passive activities but becomes hyperactive following active cyclic flexion, indicating that moment requirements are the controlling variable. It is conceived that prolonged routine exposure to cyclic flexion minimizes the function of the viscoelastic tissues and places increasing demands on the neuromuscular system which over time may lead to a disorder and possible exposure to injury.     

Paraspinal muscle vibration alters dynamic motion of the trunk

Loss in dynamic stability of the low back has been identified as a potential factor in the etiology of low back injuries. A number of factors are important in the ability of a person to maintain an upright trunk posture including the preparatory stiffness of the trunk and the magnitude and timing of the neuromotor response. A neuromotor response requires appropriate sensing of joint motion. In this research, the role of this sensory ability in dynamic performance of the trunk was examined using a simple pendulum model of the trunk with neuromotor feedback. An increased sensory threshold was found to lead to increased torso flexion and increased delay in neuromotor response. This was confirmed experimentally using paraspinal muscle vibration which is known to alter proprioception of the muscle spindle organs. Before, during and after exposure to bilateral, paraspinal muscle vibration for 20 minutes, the dynamic response of subjects to an unexpected torso flexion load was examined. Subjects were found to have a 19.5% slower time to peak muscle activity and a 16.1% greater torso flexion during exposure to paraspinal muscle vibration. Torso flexion remained significantly increased after vibration exposure relative to before exposure. These results suggest that the neuromotor response plays an important role in trunk dynamics. Loss in sensitivity of the sensory system can have a detrimental effect on trunk dynamics, increasing delays in neuromotor response and increasing the motion of the trunk in response to an unexpected load.     

Acute effects of whole body vibration on directionality and reaction time latency of trunk muscles: The importance of rest and implications for spine stability

Workplace exposure to whole body vibration (WBV) has been identified as one of the major physical risk factors encountered by the population. There are indications that, subsequent to a perturbation, impaired reflex response could allow for destabilization of the spine, possibly leading to injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate if WBV alters reflex response of trunk muscles and if the direction of perturbation (flexion or extension or lateral) and delay between exposure and perturbation influences the response. The results indicate that EMG latency was increased more in the vibration condition than in sitting without vibration. Significant effects with respect to directionality were observed in Erector Spinae muscles. The EMG latency reduced from the effect of perturbation after a 20 s rest period. Even though the EMG latency did not fully return to its Pre-test state, the present results still show that recovery from the acute effects of WBV is possible with a rest period.     

Effects of external trunk loads on lumbar spine stability

Stability of the lumbar spine is an important factor in determining spinal response to sudden loading. Using two different methods, this study evaluated how various trunk load magnitudes and directions affect lumbar spine stability. The first method was a quick release procedure in which effective trunk stiffness and stability were calculated from trunk kinematic response to a resisted-force release. The second method combined trunk muscle EMG data with a biomechanical model to calculate lumbar spine stability. Twelve subjects were tested in trunk flexion, extension, and lateral bending under nine permutations of vertical and horizontal trunk loading. The vertical load values were set at 0, 20, and 40% of the subject's body weight (BW). The horizontal loads were 0, 10, and 20% of BW. Effective spine stability as obtained from quick release experimentation increased significantly (p<0.01) with increased vertical and horizontal loading. It ranged from 785 (S.D.=580) Nm/rad under no-load conditions to 2200 (S.D.=1015) Nm/rad when the maximum horizontal and vertical loads were applied to the trunk simultaneously. Stability of the lumbar spine achieved prior to force release and estimated from the biomechanical model explained approximately 50% of variance in the effective spine stability obtained from quick release trials in extension and lateral bending (0.53相似文献   

Active trunk stiffness increases with co-contraction.

Trunk dynamics, including stiffness, mass and damping were quantified during trunk extension exertions with and without voluntary recruitment of antagonistic co-contraction. The objective of this study was to empirically evaluate the influence of co-activation on trunk stiffness. Muscle activity associated with voluntary co-contraction has been shown to increase joint stiffness in the ankle and elbow. Although biomechanical models assume co-active recruitment causes increase trunk stiffness it has never been empirically demonstrated. Small trunk displacements invoked by pseudorandom force disturbances during trunk extension exertions were recorded from 17 subjects at two co-contraction conditions (minimal and maximal voluntary co-contraction recruitment). EMG data were recorded from eight trunk muscles as a baseline measure of co-activation. Increased EMG activity confirms that muscle recruitment patterns were different between the two co-contraction conditions. Trunk stiffness was determined from analyses of impulse response functions (IRFs) of trunk dynamics wherein the kinematics were represented as a second-order behavior. Trunk stiffness increased 37.8% (p < 0.004) from minimal to maximal co-activation. Results support the assumption used in published models of spine biomechanics that recruitment of trunk muscle co-contraction increases trunk stiffness thereby supporting conclusions from those models that co-contraction may contribute to spinal stability.     

Effects of abdominal stabilization maneuvers on the control of spine motion and stability against sudden trunk perturbations.

Much discussion exists about which is the most effective technique to improve spine stability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of abdominal bracing and abdominal hollowing maneuvers to control spine motion and stability against rapid perturbations. Eleven healthy males were posteriorly loaded in different experimental conditions: resting with no knowledge of the perturbation timing; performing each of the stabilization maneuvers at 10%, 15% and 20% of internal oblique maximum voluntary contraction with no knowledge of the perturbation timing; and naturally coactivating the trunk muscles when perturbation timing was known. An EMG biofeedback system was used to control the pattern and intensity of abdominal coactivation. The muscular preactivation of seven trunk muscles (bilaterally registered), the applied force, and the torso muscular and kinematic responses to loading were measured; and the spine stability and compression were modeled. The hollowing maneuver was not effective for reducing the kinematic response to sudden perturbation. On the contrary, the bracing maneuver fostered torso cocontraction, reduced lumbar displacement, and increased trunk stability, but at the cost of increasing spinal compression. When the timing of the perturbation was known, the participants were able to stabilize the trunk while imposing smaller spine compressive loads.     

Directional sensitivity of velocity sense in the lumbar spine

Regulating spinal motion requires proprioceptive feedback. While studies have investigated the sensing of static lumbar postures, few have investigated sensing lumbar movement speed. In this study, proprioceptive contributions to lateral trunk motion were examined during paraspinal muscle vibration. Seventeen healthy subjects performed lateral trunk flexion movements while lying prone with pelvis fixed. A 44.5-Hz vibratory stimulus was applied to the paraspinal muscles at the L3 level. Subjects attempted to match target paces of 9.5, 13.5, and 17.5 deg/s with and without paraspinal muscle vibration. Vibration of the paraspinal musculature was found to result in slower overall lateral flexion. This effect was found to have a greater influence in the difference of directional velocities with vibration applied to the left musculature. These changes reflect the sensitivity of lumbar velocity sense to applied vibration leading to the perception of faster muscle lengthening and ultimately resulting in slower movement velocities. This suggests that muscle spindle organs modulate the ability to sense velocity of motion and are important in the control of dynamic motion of the spine.     

Limiting mechanisms of force production after repetitive dynamic contractions in human triceps surae.

The influence of repetitive dynamic fatiguing contractions on the neuromuscular characteristics of the human triceps surae was investigated in 10 subjects. The load was 50% of the torque produced during a maximal voluntary contraction, and the exercise ended when the ankle range of motion declined to 50% of control. The maximal torque of the triceps surae and the electromyographic (EMG) activities of the soleus and medial gastrocnemius were studied in response to voluntary and electrically induced contractions before and after the fatiguing task and after 5 min of recovery. Reflex activities were also tested by recording the Hoffmann reflex (H reflex) and tendon reflex (T reflex) in the soleus muscle. The results indicated that whereas the maximal voluntary contraction torque, tested in isometric conditions, was reduced to a greater extent (P < 0.05) at 20 degrees of plantar flexion (-33%) compared with the neutral position (-23%) of the ankle joint, the EMG activity of both muscles was not significantly reduced after fatigue. Muscle activation, tested by the interpolated-twitch method or the ratio of the voluntary EMG to the amplitude of the muscle action potential (M-wave), as well as the neuromuscular transmission and sarcolemmal excitation, tested by the M-wave amplitude, did not change significantly after the fatiguing exercise. Although the H and T reflexes declined slightly (10-13%; P < 0.05) after fatigue, these adjustments did not appear to have a direct deleterious effect on muscle activation. In contrast, alterations in the mechanical twitch time course and postactivation potentiation indicated that intracellular Ca(2+)-controlled excitation-contraction coupling processes most likely played a major role in the force decrease after dynamic fatiguing contractions performed for short duration.     

Relating reflex gain modulation in posture control to underlying neural network properties using a neuromusculoskeletal model

During posture control, reflexive feedback allows humans to efficiently compensate for unpredictable mechanical disturbances. Although reflexes are involuntary, humans can adapt their reflexive settings to the characteristics of the disturbances. Reflex modulation is commonly studied by determining reflex gains: a set of parameters that quantify the contributions of Ia, Ib and II afferents to mechanical joint behavior. Many mechanisms, like presynaptic inhibition and fusimotor drive, can account for reflex gain modulations. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of underlying neural and sensory mechanisms on mechanical joint behavior. A neuromusculoskeletal model was built, in which a pair of muscles actuated a limb, while being controlled by a model of 2,298 spiking neurons in six pairs of spinal populations. Identical to experiments, the endpoint of the limb was disturbed with force perturbations. System identification was used to quantify the control behavior with reflex gains. A sensitivity analysis was then performed on the neuromusculoskeletal model, determining the influence of the neural, sensory and synaptic parameters on the joint dynamics. The results showed that the lumped reflex gains positively correlate to their most direct neural substrates: the velocity gain with Ia afferent velocity feedback, the positional gain with muscle stretch over II afferents and the force feedback gain with Ib afferent feedback. However, position feedback and force feedback gains show strong interactions with other neural and sensory properties. These results give important insights in the effects of neural properties on joint dynamics and in the identifiability of reflex gains in experiments.     

Influences of experimental factors on spinal stretch reflex latency and amplitude in the human triceps surae.

The spinal stretch reflex (SSR) is commonly assessed via electromyographic (EMG) analysis of joint perturbations inducing changes in muscle length. Previous literature indicates that when large experimental changes in magnitude of agonist background EMG, perturbation velocity, and perturbation amplitude are employed, SSR latency and amplitude are significantly altered. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the relative dependence of SSR latency and amplitude on inherent variability in these experimental variables. Soleus SSR latency and amplitude were assessed in 40 healthy subjects following dorsiflexion perturbation under an active state ( approximately 14% MVC). Experimental variables displayed limited variability (means +/- SD): soleus background EMG (13.47 +/- 7.08% MVC), perturbation velocity (96.1 +/- 30 degrees /s), and perturbation amplitude (4 +/- 1 degrees ). SSR latency was not significantly related to soleus background EMG (r = 0.189), perturbation velocity (r = 0.213), or perturbation amplitude (r = 0.202). Similarly, SSR amplitude was not significantly related to soleus background EMG (r = 0.306), perturbation velocity (r = 0.053), or perturbation amplitude (r = 0.056). Variability in experimental variables was much smaller than what has been reported in the literature to significantly impact SSR characteristics. These results suggest that SSR latency and amplitude are independent of agonist background EMG, perturbation velocity, and perturbation amplitude when experimental variability is relatively limited.     

Flexion-relaxation response to gravity

The objective of this report was to study the influence of the orientation of gravitational loading on the behavior of anterior and posterior trunk muscles during anterior trunk flexion-extension. Participants (N=13) performed five (5) cycles of trunk flexion-extension while standing with gravity parallel to the body axis and five (5) cycles while in the supine condition (e.g. sit-ups) with gravity perpendicular to the body axis. Surface electromyographic (EMG) patterns from lumbar paraspinal, rectus abdominis, external oblique, rectus femoris, semimembranosis, and biceps femoris muscles were analyzed during each condition. EMG signals were synchronized with lumbar flexion and trunk inclination angles. Flexion-extension from the standing position resulted in a myoelectric silent period of the lumbar posterior muscles (e.g. flexion-relaxation phenomena (FRP)) as well as the hamstring muscles through deep angles during which activity was observed in abdominal muscles. Flexion-extension during sit-ups, however, resulted in a myoelectric silent period of the abdominal muscles and the quadriceps through deep angles during which the lumbar posterior muscles were active. In this condition, the FRP was not observed in posterior muscles. The new findings demonstrate the profound impact of the orientation of the gravity vector on the FRP, the abdominal muscles reaction to gravitational loads during sit-ups and its relationships with lumbar antagonists and thigh musculature. The new findings suggest that gravitational moments requirements dominate the FRP through the prevailing kinematics, load sharing and reflex activation-inhibition of muscles in various conditions. Lumbar kinematics or fixed sensory motor programs by themselves, however, are not the major contributor to the FRP. The new findings improve our insights into spinal biomechanics as well as understanding and evaluating low back disorders.     

Trunk strength,muscle activity and spinal loads in maximum isometric flexion and extension exertions: A combined in vivo-computational study

Determination of the trunk maximum voluntary exertion moment capacity and associated internal spinal forces could serve in proper selection of workers for specific occupational task requirements, injury prevention and treatment outcome evaluations. Maximum isometric trunk exertion moments in flexion and extension along with surface EMG of select trunk muscles are measured in 12 asymptomatic subjects. Subsequently and under individualized measured harness-subject forces, kinematics and upper trunk gravity, an iterative kinematics-driven finite element model is used to compute muscle forces and spinal loads in 4 of these subjects. Different co-activity and intra-abdominal pressure levels are simulated. Results indicate significantly larger maximal resistant moments and spinal compression/shear forces in extension exertions than flexion exertions. The agonist trunk muscles reach their maximum force generation (saturation) to greater extent in extension exertions compared to flexion exertions. Local lumbar extensor muscles are highly active in extension exertions and generate most of the internal spinal forces. The maximum exertion attempts produce large spinal compression and shear loads that increase with the antagonist co-activity level but decrease with the intra-abdominal pressure. Intra-abdominal pressure decreases agonist muscle forces in extension exertions but generally increase them in flexion exertions.     

The differential effects of fatigue on reflex response timing and amplitude in males and females.

We examined the effects of fatigue on patellar tendon reflex responses in males and females. A spring-loaded reflex hammer elicited a standardized tendon tap with the knee positioned in an isokinetic dynamometer and flexed to 85 degrees. We recorded vastus lateralis activity (SEMG) and knee extension force production at the distal tibia (force transducer). Reflex trials were performed before and after (immediate, 2, 4, and 6 min) an isokinetic fatigue protocol to 50% MVC (90 degrees /s). For each event, pre-motor time (PMT), electromechanical delay (EMD), and total motor time (TMT) were obtained, as well as EMG amplitude (EMG(amp)), time to peak EMG (EMG(tpk)), peak force amplitude (F(amp)), time to peak force (F(tpk)), EMG:force ratio (E:F), and rate of force production (F(rate)=N/ms). TMT increased significantly in females following fatigue, while males showed no change. The increased TMT was due to an increased EMD with fatigue, while PMT was unaffected. EMG(amp) and F(amp) were somewhat diminished in females yet significantly augmented in males following fatigue, likely accounting for the differential changes in EMD noted. Results suggest males and females may respond differently to isokinetic fatigue, with males having a greater capacity to compensate for contraction force failure when responding to mechanical perturbations.