Determination of subject-specific muscle fatigue rates under static fatiguing operations

Cumulative local muscle fatigue may lead to potential musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risks, and subject-specific muscle fatigability needs to be considered to reduce potential MSD risks. This study was conducted to determine local muscle fatigue rate at shoulder joint level based on an exponential function derived from a muscle fatigue model. Forty male subjects participated in a fatiguing operation under a static posture with a range of relative force levels (14-33%). Maximum muscle strengths over time were measured after different fatiguing sessions. The time course of strength decline was fitted to the exponential function. Subject-specific fatigue rates of shoulder joint moment strength were determined. Good correspondence (R2 > 0.8) was found in the regression of the majority (35 out of 40 subjects). Substantial inter-individual variability in fatigue rate was found and discussed. Practitioner Summary: Different workers have different muscle fatigue attributes. Determination of joint-level subject-specific muscle fatigue rates can facilitate physical task assignment, work-rest scheduling, MSD prevention and worker training and selection.