Abstract

RIBEIRO, Fernando; GONCALVES, Gisela; VENANCIO, João  and  OLIVEIRA, José. Skeletal-muscle fatigue decreases shoulder position sense in handball players. Rev. Port. Cien. Desp. [online]. 2008, vol.8, n.2, pp.271-276. ISSN 1645-0523.

Literature indicates that local muscle fatigue diminishes joint proprioception. However, few studies have been conducted investigating the effect of functional protocols, more close to the demands of the sport activity. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect, in handball players, of exercise-induced acute muscle fatigue using a specific motor task, handball shot, on the shoulder joint position sense. The sample was composed by 24 male athletes. Shoulder position sense was evaluated, prior to and immediately after exercise using the technique of active positioning of a passively determined position, and was reported as absolute, relative and variable angular errors. The exercise protocol to induce fatigue consisted on repeated shots from a 7 meters distance to goal with maximum velocity. Athletes finished the exercise when a level ≥ 15 on the Borg scale was reached. The athletes performed in average 59.96±12.97 shots, reaching or exceeding the scores of 15 (16.9±0.68) on the Borg scale. After exercise, the absolute angular error increased (2.53±1.10 to 3.46±1.64; p=0.03) and the reliability in estimating shoulder angles decreased, as showed by the increase (37.7%) in variable error. The results of the present study suggest that muscle fatigue induced by the specific motor task of handball shot has deleterious effects on shoulder joint position sense in handball players.

Keywords : joint position sense; local muscle fatigue; handball.

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