French Translation and Validation of the Rating-of-Fatigue Scale

Background The Rating of Fatigue (ROF) scale can measure changes in perceived fatigue in a variety of contexts. Objective The aim of the present study was to translate and subsequently validate the ROF scale in the French language. Methods The study was composed of three phases. Phase 1 involved a comprehensive translation, back-translation, and consolidation process in order to produce the French ROF scale. During phase 2, the face validity of the French ROF scale was assessed. A cohort of 60 native French speaking participants responded to a range of Likert scale items which probed the purposes of the ROF scale and what it is intended to measure. During phase 3, the convergent and divergent validity of the ROF scale was assessed during ramped cycling to exhaustion and 10 min of resting recovery. Results The results from phase 1 demonstrated comparability and interpretability between the original and back-translated ROF scale. In phase 2, participants reported a high face validity, with a score of 3.48 ± 0.70 out of 4 when given the item probing whether the scale “measures fatigue”. This score further improved (3.67 ± 0.57, P = 0.01) after participants read the accompanying instructions. Participants were able to distinguish the purposes of the scale for measuring fatigue rather than exertion. In phase 3, strong correlations were found between ROF and heart rate (HR) both during exercise (r = 0.91, P < 0.01) and recovery (r = 0.92, P < 0.01), while discriminant validity between ROF and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was found during recovery. Conclusion The present study permits the applications of the ROF scale in the French language

Effects of compression stockings during exercise and recovery on blood lactate kinetics

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Effects of Graduated Compression Stockings on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Responses to Exercise and Exercise Recovery in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury

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Fatigue, physical activity, and quality of life in people self-reporting symptoms of chronic venous disease

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Performance Determinants in Trail-Running Races of Different Distances

International audiencePurpose: While the physiological determinants of road running have been widely studied, there is a lack of research in trail-running racing performance. The aim of our study was to determine the physiological predictors of trail-running performance in races of different distances in similar terrain and weather conditions. Methods: Seventy-five trail runners participating in one of the races of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc were recruited. Previous to the race, each runner was evaluated with (1) an incremental treadmill test to determine maximal oxygen uptake, ventilatory thresholds, cost of running, and substrate utilization; (2) a power–force–velocity profile on a cycle ergometer; (3) maximal voluntary contractions of the knee extensors and plantar flexors; and (4) anthropometric characteristics. Neuromuscular fatigue was evaluated after the races. Twenty-four runners finished a SHORT (145 km) race. Correlations and multiple linear regressions were used to find the determinants of performance in each race distance. Results: Performance in SHORT was explained by maximal oxygen uptake and lipid utilization at 10 km/h ( r 2 = .825, P Conclusions: Performance in trail running is mainly predicted by aerobic capacity, while lipid utilization also influences performance in races <60 km and performance in approximately 100 km is influenced by muscle strength and body composition

Effect of race distance on performance fatigability in male trail and ultra-trail runners

The etiology of changes in lower-limb neuromuscular function, especially to the central nervous system, may be affected by exercise duration. Direct evidence is lacking as few studies have directly compared different race distances. This study aimed to investigate the etiology of deficits in neuromuscular function following short versus long trail-running races. Thirty-two male trail runners completed one of five trail-running races as LONG (>100 km) or SHORT (<60 km). Pre- and post-race, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque and evoked responses to electrical nerve stimulation during MVCs and at rest were used to assess voluntary activation and muscle contractile properties of knee-extensor (KE) and plantar-flexor (PF) muscles. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to assess evoked responses and corticospinal excitability in maximal and submaximal KE contractions. Race distance correlated with KE MVC (ρ = -0.556) and twitch (ρ = -0.521) torque decreases (P ≤ 0.003). KE twitch torque decreased more in LONG (-28 ± 14%) than SHORT (-14 ± 10%, P = 0.005); however, KE MVC time × distance interaction was not significant (P = 0.073). No differences between LONG and SHORT for PF MVC or twitch torque were observed. Maximal voluntary activation decreased similarly in LONG and SHORT in both muscle groups (P ≥ 0.637). TMS-elicited silent period decreased in LONG (P = 0.021) but not SHORT (P = 0.912). Greater muscle-contractile property impairment in longer races, not central perturbations, contributed to the correlation between KE MVC loss and race distance. Conversely, PF fatigability was unaffected by race distance

Impact of running an ultramarathon on neuromuscular fatigue: effects of sex and distance.

International audienceFew studies have assessed sex differences in neuromuscular fatigue after prolonged running. Compared to men, women exhibit less peripheral fatigue in plantar flexor muscles (PF) after running a 110-km-mountain-ultramathon [1]. The purpose of the present study was to further characterize sex differences by examining various running distances. Thirty-six runners completed the study: 18 men (36 ± 8 years, 72.5 ± 9.6 kg) and 18 women (36 ± 8 years, 59.1 ± 5.8 kg). Men and women were matched by relative performance (i.e. percent of winning time of their sex category). Participants completed various races of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® ranging from 40 km with 2,300 m of positive elevation change to 170 km with 10,000 m of positive elevation change. One month before the race, participants visited the lab to be familiarized with electrical stimulation on both knee extensor (KE) and PF muscles. Neuromuscular function was tested before and after each race. The testing protocol consisted of a standardized warm-up followed by the assessment of maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs), maximal voluntary activation (superimposed 100 Hz doublet) and contractile properties (potentiated 100 Hz doublet, potentiated 10 Hz doublet and potentiated single twitch (Pt)). For analysis, participants were further subdivided into two groups of 18 runners by distance of race completed (SHORT < 100 km vs LONG ≥ 100 km). A factorial ANOVA with deficit (in percentage of PRE value) as a dependent factor and with sex and distance as between-subject factors was used for the analysis.MVC loss was greater after LONG than SHORT in both KE (p<0.05) and PF (p<0.01) and the decrease in Pt was significantly greater (p<0.05) in LONG compared to SHORT in KE, independent of sex. In PF, the decrease in MVC was greater (p<0.05) in men than women (-35 ± 11% vs -25 ± 13%, respectively), independent of the distance run. However, women exhibited a greater decrease in Pt compared to men in LONG (p<0.05) for PF. Neither sex nor distance effects were observed in maximal voluntary activation for either muscle group.The greater muscle strength loss in LONG compared to SHORT fits the previously reported relationship between strength loss and race duration (2). Surprisingly, the present study displayed greater peripheral fatigue in women compared to men after LONG races. However, women lost less muscle strength in PF than men, suggesting that they were globally more resistant to fatigue in plantar flexor muscles.[1] Temesi J et al. (2015). Med Sci Sports Exerc, 47: 1372-82.[2] Millet GY. (2011). Sports Med, 41(6): 489-506

Sex Differences in Neuromuscular Fatigue and Changes in Cost of Running after Mountain Trail Races of Various Distances

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Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Neuromuscular Function of Mechanically Ventilated ICU COVID-19 Patients

International audienceObjectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the level of cardiorespiratory fitness and neuromuscular function of ICU survivors after COVID-19 and to examine whether these outcomes are related to ICU stay/mechanical ventilation duration.Design: Prospective nonrandomized study.Setting: Patients hospitalized in ICU for COVID-19 infection.Patients: Sixty patients hospitalized in ICU (mean duration: 31.9 ± 18.2 d) were recruited 4-8 weeks post discharge from ICU.Interventions: None.Measurements and main results: Patients visited the laboratory on two separate occasions. The first visit was dedicated to quality of life questionnaire, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, whereas measurements of the knee extensors neuromuscular function were performed in the second visit. Maximal oxygen uptake (V o2 max) was 18.3 ± 4.5 mL·min -1 ·kg -1 , representing 49% ± 12% of predicted value, and was significantly correlated with ICU stay/mechanical ventilation (MV) duration ( R = -0.337 to -0.446; p < 0.01 to 0.001), as were maximal voluntary contraction and electrically evoked peak twitch. V o2 max (either predicted or in mL· min -1 ·kg -1 ) was also significantly correlated with key indices of pulmonary function such as predicted forced vital capacity or predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second ( R = 0.430-0.465; p ≤ 0.001) and neuromuscular function. Both cardiorespiratory fitness and neuromuscular function were correlated with self-reported physical functioning and general health status.Conclusions: V o2 max was on average only slightly above the 18 mL·min -1 ·kg -1 , that is, the cut-off value known to induce difficulty in performing daily tasks. Overall, although low physical capacities at admission in ICU COVID-19 patients cannot be ruled out to explain the association between V o2 max or neuromuscular function and ICU stay/MV duration, altered cardiorespiratory fitness and neuromuscular function observed in the present study may not be specific to COVID-19 disease but seem applicable to all ICU/MV patients of similar duration