Effects of Localized Muscle Fatigue and Whole Body Fatigue on Postural Control during Single-Leg Stance

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of localized muscle fatigue and whole body fatigue on postural control during single-leg stance after impairment induced by heel raise and the Harvard step test. Thirty-eight university students (19 men: age, $20.1{\pm}0.2$ yrs; height, $175.0{\pm}5.23cm$; weight, $66.8{\pm}5.6kg$; body mass index, $21.8{\pm}1.7kg/m^2$, 19 women: age, $20.6{\pm}1.1yrs$ ; height, $163.6{\pm}6.7cm$; weight, $58.8{\pm}4.6kg$; body mass index, $22.0{\pm}2.2kg/m^2$) were participated in this study. Subjects performed a series of single-leg postural tasks prior to, following, and 24 hours after completing: heel raise or the Harvard step test. This study showed that the root mean squared distance and velocity in the anteroposterior and mediolateral planes of the center of pressure decreased significantly due to heel raise exercise-induced fatigue. Furthermore, the root mean squared distance in the anteroposterior and mediolateral planes, and the 95% confidence ellipse area of the center of pressure also decreased significantly 24 hours after completing the Harvard step test. In conclusion, this study showed that both heel raise exercise- and Harvard step exercise-induced fatigue affects postural control during single-leg stance in AP and ML planes. Furthermore, this study suggests that changes in the postural control strategy may have occurred after the fatigue protocols during single-leg stance. Also vision can attenuate the postural deficits associated with the fatigues. In order to clarify these results, further studies using other equipment and variables are necessary.