Neuromuscular fatigue after a ski skating marathon.

The aim of this study was to characterize neuromuscular fatigue in knee extensor muscles after a marathon skiing race (mean +/- SD duration = 159.7 +/- 17.9 min). During the 2 days preceding the event and immediately after, maximal percutaneous electrical stimulations (single twitch, 0.5-s tetanus at 20 and 80 Hz) were applied to the femoral nerve of 11 trained skiers. Superimposed twitches were also delivered during maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) to determine maximal voluntary activation (% VA). EMG was recorded from the vastus lateralis muscle. MVC decreased with fatigue from 171.7 +/- 33.7 to 157.3 +/- 35.2 Nm (-8.4%; p < 0.005) while % VA did not change significantly. The RMS measured during MVC and peak-to-peak amplitude of the compound muscle action potential (PPA) from the vastus lateralis decreased with fatigue by about 30% (p < 0.01), but RMS.PPA-1 was similar before and after the ski marathon. Peak tetanus tension at 20 Hz and 80 Hz (P(0)20 and P(0)80, respectively) did not change significantly, but P(0)20.P(0)80-1 increased (p < 0.05) after the ski marathon. Data from electrically evoked single twitches showed greater peak mechanical response, faster rate of force development, and shorter contraction time in the fatigued state. From these results it can be concluded that a ski skating marathon (a) alters slightly but significantly maximal voluntary strength of the knee extensors without affecting central activation, and (b) induces both potentiation and fatigue.