The Effect of Acute Physical Fatigue on Information Processing, Pain Threshold and Muscular Performance

Funding: M.A.C. acknowledges the support of the Centre for Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Processes—CEMMPRE, University of Coimbra, which is sponsored by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (UIDB/00285/2020, LA/P/0112/2020). Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Extremadura (protocol code CIPI/18/093). This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomechanics and Motor Control on Human Movement Analysis. This study explores the multifaceted effects of acute physical fatigue on information processing, pain threshold, and muscular performance. Enrolling 28 recreational athletes, we used a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol to induce fatigue and conducted pre- and post-intervention assessments. Our findings revealed significant physiological and performance adaptations following the HIIT sessions. Key observations included increased heart rate and rate of perceived exertion and an enhancement in horizontal jump performance and isometric hand strength but no significant change in cognitive processing speed. Remarkably, participants demonstrated a notable increase in pain threshold and blood lactate levels post-exercise. These results challenge traditional views of fatigue, indicating not only a physiological but also a psychological resilience to high-intensity stress. This study provides new insights into the complex interplay between physical fatigue, cognitive function, and pain perception, highlighting the comprehensive effects of HIIT on both physiological and psychological dimensions of human performance.