The effects of fatigue on joint position sense in the ankle

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of fatigue of the gastrocnemius, through a dynamic fatiguing protocol, on joint position sense of the ankle. This study was a 2 x 2 factorial design. There were two independent variables: condition (non-fatigued and fatigued) and measurement (10° of dorsiflexion and 20° of plantar flexion). The dependent variable was absolute error measurement. The study took place at West Virginia University's Athletic Training Research Laboratory. Twenty healthy college students volunteered for the study. The subjects were tested in the non-fatigued and fatigued condition on a custom built joint position sense device. The subjects underwent an active angle reproduction test at 10° of dorsiflexion and 20° of plantar flexion. Subjects underwent the active angle reproduction test in both the fatigued and non fatigued condition. There were no significant main effects or interactions. Further research is needed in this area.