The rapid recovery of vertical force propulsion production and postural sway after a specific fatigue protocol in female handball athletes

• Published in: Gait & posture 2020-03, Vol.77, p.52-58
• Main Authors: Bedo, Bruno Luiz Souza, Pereira, Dayanne Rodrigues, Moraes, Renato, Kalva-Filho, Carlos Augusto, Will-de-Lemos, Tenysson, Santiago, Paulo Roberto Pereira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Fatigue; Female; Force; Handball; Humans; Muscle Fatigue - physiology; Postural Balance - physiology; Postural sway; Posture - physiology; Sports; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0966-6362; 1879-2219; 1879-2219
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.01.017

•We investigated a fatigue protocol for female handball athletes.•The fatigue protocol increased postural sway.•The fatigue protocol decreased the propulsive vertical force.•The COP area and force propulsion returned to baseline after 5 min of recovery. Muscle fatigue is characterized by a decrease in muscle performance, accompanied by an increase in perceived exertion to produce a desired amount of force. The duration of the fatigue effects is not completely clear regarding postural sway and force production in athletes. What is the effect of a specific fatigue protocol in postural sway and force production in female handball athletes and the recovery time necessary for these variables? Twenty female handball athletes participated in this study. Specific handball actions composed the fatigue protocol in the format of a circuit with the gradual increment of laps. They stood upright in one-leg posture on a force plate. For the maximum propulsion force (FMAX), they performed a countermovement jump on the force plate. The center of pressure (COP) and the FMAX were obtained at baseline, immediately after the exhaustion due to the fatigue protocol and every minute during the first 10 min of the recovery phase. The FMAX decreased ∼9.5% after the fatigue protocol, whereas de COP area increased 224%. During the recovery phase, the FMAX and the COP area returned to baseline values after five minutes. The first five minutes immediately after the fatigue protocol represent the time interval where the fatigue effects are still present. Future studies willing to investigate the effects of fatigue in athletes should perform the analysis within this short time-window.