ArticleEuropean journal of applied physiology2012
Influence of mental workload on muscle endurance, fatigue, and recovery during intermittent static work.
Article in European journal of applied physiology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 74 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Changes in Physical Performance Following Operational Military Training: A Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Combining Occupationally Relevant Physical and Cognitive Tasks. A Systematic Review.Annals of work exposures and health · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Effects of dual-task demands on the complexity and task performance of submaximal isometric handgrip force control.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Trial
- Cognitive stress changes the attributes of the three heads of the triceps brachii during muscle fatigue.PloS one · 2020Trial
- Physical and cognitive exertion do not influence feedforward activation of the trunk muscles: a randomized crossover trial.Experimental brain research · 2019Trial
- Milk: An Effective Recovery Drink for Female Athletes.Nutrients · 2018Trial
- Dual-task interference between climbing and a simulated communication task.Experimental brain research · 2014Trial
- Evaluation of Relationship Between Neuromuscular Fatigue and Manual Dexterity in Physiotherapists: An Observational Study.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Conceptual qualitative system dynamics model for simulation of perceived workload, stress and performance from industrial work content.PloS one · 2026Article
- The impact of physical-mental mixed fatigue on landing biomechanics inter-joint coordination and injury risk in elite American football players.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- From motor primitives to context-dependent coordination: a system neuroscience approach integrating cognitive, affective, and experiential factors into muscle synergy analysis.Frontiers in systems neuroscience · 2026Article
- Cognitive correlates of human endurance.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Effects of compression pants on hip proprioception and dynamic balance during intermittent half-marathon running.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Effects of psychosocial factors on Swedish waste collectors musculoskeletal pain through the mediating roles of occupational fatigue and physical demands: a structural equation model.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Muscle endurance, neuromuscular fatigability, and cognitive control during prolonged dual-task in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a case-control study.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Article
- Adding a sustained attention task to a physically demanding cycling exercise exacerbates neuromuscular fatigue and impairs cognitive performance in both normoxia and hypoxia.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Article
- Wrist Extensor Muscle Fatigue During a Dual Task With Two Muscular and Cognitive Load Levels in Younger and Older Adults.Human factors · 2024Article
- The Impact of Physiological and Psychological Fatigue on Work Efficiency: A Case Study of Parcel Sorting Work.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Boosts for walking: how humorous messages increase brisk walking among cognitively fatigued individuals.BMC public health · 2024Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Most occupational tasks involve some level of mental/cognitive processing in addition to physical work; however, the etiology of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to these demands remains unclear. The aim of this study was to quantify the interactive effects of physical and mental workload on muscle endurance, fatigue, and recovery during intermittent work. Twelve participants, balanced by gender, performed intermittent static shoulder abductions to exhaustion at 15, 35, and 55% of individual maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), in the absence (control) and presence (concurrent) of a mental arithmetic task. Changes in muscular capacity were determined using endurance time, strength decline, electromyographic (EMG) fatigue indicators, muscle oxygenation, and heart rate measures. Muscular recovery was quantified through changes in strength and physiological responses. Mental workload was associated with shorter endurance times, specifically at 35% MVC, and greater strength decline. EMG and oxygenation measures showed similar changes during fatigue manifestation during concurrent conditions compared to the control, despite shorter endurance times. Moreover, decreased heart rate variability during concurrent demand conditions indicated increased mental stress. Although strength recovery was not influenced by mental workload, a slower heart rate recovery was observed after concurrent demand conditions. The findings from this study provide fundamental evidence that physical capacity (fatigability and recovery) is adversely affected by mental workload. Thus, it is critical to determine or evaluate occupational demands based on modified muscular capacity (due to mental workload) to reduce risk of WMSD development.
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Registered trials
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