• Boucher J-A
• Abboud J
• Descarreaux M

• Back / physiology
• Back Muscles
• Feedback, Sensory / physiology
• Muscle Fatigue / physiology
• Muscle, Skeletal / physiology
• Proprioception / physiology
• Torso / physiology

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate trunk repositioning sense after an acute muscle fatigue protocol and during a 30-minute recovery period.

Methods: Twenty healthy participants were asked to reproduce a 20° and 30° angle in trunk extension. Participants were tested before and after a Biering-Sorensen fatigue protocol was performed. Movement time, peak angle variable error, constant error and absolute error in peak angle were calculated and compared between 4 temporal conditions in both 20° and 30° extensions.

Results: The statistical analysis revealed a main effect of angle between 20° and 30° extension condition for variable error, absolute error, and movement time. A main effect of time was also found and was characterized by a significant increase in variable error between the prefatigue condition and the first postfatigue condition. During recovery, a significant decrease in variable error was observed between the first postfatigue condition and the 30-minute postfatigue condition, indicating that the variable mean scores were similar to initial values.

Conclusion: Lower back muscle fatigue induced changes in trunk repositioning sense indicators immediately after the fatigue protocol. However, the observed changes did not last for more than a few minutes.

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