Fatigue in people with musculoskeletal problems.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Fatigue in people with musculoskeletal problems
IRAS ID
195348
Contact name
Caroline Alexander
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
Why? It is not understood why people with musculoskeletal problems, specifically Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) feel fatigued. This is important to understand as it is unclear where treatment should be targeted.
What? JHS is a heritable connective tissue disorder featuring excessive flexibility of joints. As JHS is a disorder of collagen that occurs throughout the body it has features such as varicose veins, uterine or rectal prolapse and hernias. They can suffer subluxations, dislocations, sprains, clumsiness and problems with activities ranging from high level sport and performance to even simple writing tasks. Importantly although fatigue does not feature in the classification of JHS, it has been reported to reach 86% of the sufferers.
Who? People with JHS will be compared to an age matched healthy control group.
Where? The investigation will be conducted in the motor control laboratory situated in the department of physiotherapy at Charing Cross Hospital.
How? The participants will take part for approximately 90minutes. Well established, non painful and non-invasive techniques commonly used to examine fatigue in other musculoskeletal populations will be used. Electromyographic activity of a muscle will be recorded during trancranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex. This will take place alongside a maximal voluntary contraction of the muscle against resistance. In addition, electrical stimulation of the peripheral nerve supply will evoke a contraction of the muscle under investigation. Together, the responses evoked will indicate the central and peripheral nervous system’s contribution to fatigue. The person will then undergo a series of muscle contractions to induce fatigue in the muscle. The measures will be repeated after the muscle has been fatigued.REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0178
Date of REC Opinion
11 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion