• Impact of repetitive mouse aim...

*Result*: Impact of repetitive mouse aiming on muscle fatigue and fine motor performance of the distal upper limb.

Title:
Impact of repetitive mouse aiming on muscle fatigue and fine motor performance of the distal upper limb.
Authors:
Forman GN; Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada., Nikitin SA; Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada., Lang CJ; Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada., Gabriel DA; Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada., Sonne MW; Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada; Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, USA., Kociolek AM; Department of Physical and Health Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, Canada., Holmes MWR; Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada. Electronic address: michael.holmes@brocku.ca.
Source:
Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology [J Electromyogr Kinesiol] 2025 Jun; Vol. 82, pp. 102992. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Mar 13.
Publication Type:
Journal Article
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9109125 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-5711 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10506411 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Electromyogr Kinesiol Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Publication: <1995- >: Oxford : Elsevier
Original Publication: New York, N.Y. : Raven Press, 1991-
MeSH Terms:
Muscle Fatigue*/physiology , Muscle, Skeletal*/physiology , Upper Extremity*/physiology , Muscle Contraction*/physiology , Motor Skills*/physiology , Computer Peripherals*, Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Electromyography ; Female ; Young Adult
Contributed Indexing:
Keywords: Ergonomics; Esports; Gaming; Motor Performance; Muscle fatigue
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20250321 Date Completed: 20250525 Latest Revision: 20250525
Update Code:
20260130
DOI:
10.1016/j.jelekin.2025.102992
PMID:
40117860
Database:
MEDLINE

*Further Information*

*Gaming is demanding, however, the impact of gaming on muscle fatigue and performance changes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate muscle fatigue and performance impairments during an extended mouse aiming fatigue protocol. Twenty participants were recruited (8F, 12 M), separated into gaming and non-gaming groups. Surface electromyography was measured from eight muscles of the right distal upper limb. Participants performed a 30-second aiming task using aim training software. The fatiguing protocol involved six, 5-minute bouts of hitting targets in AimLab. To assess muscle fatigue, reference contractions of radial and ulnar deviation (30% max) as well as ratings of perceived fatigue (RPF) were collected throughout the experiment. The wrist extensors produced the greatest levels of muscle activity while aiming a mouse, producing up to 9.3% MVC. No changes in performance measures were observed throughout the experiment. However, significant fatigue of extensors was observed through changes in RPF, mean power frequency, median frequency, and spike shape analysis. Performance metrics indicated no impairments caused by the fatiguing protocol. Changes in EMG characteristics indicate that the wrist extensors became significantly fatigued through prolonged mouse aiming, indicating the extensors may be prone to gaming related fatigue and injury.
(Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)*

*Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.*