It has been theorised that self-perception is integral to the regulation of exercise and production of an optimal performance. This concept has not been examined in an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructed population where the consequences of injury and surgery may provide a substantive perturbation to perceptual capabilities. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) have previously been shown to enable prediction of exercise task duration (TD) during running and cycling activities in healthy individuals, but this has yet to be explored in intermittent and isolated muscle exercise that is typically utilised during resistance training and ACL rehabilitation. Accordingly, this thesis investigated: i) the relationship between self-perceived knee function and objective measures of musculoskeletal performance at a range of time-points across the ACL-rehabilitation period; ii) the relationship between two paradigms of self-perception (RPE; perceived TD) and TD in healthy individuals during an intermittent isometric fatigue task (IIF) under various conditions of increasing exercise stress. Self-perceived knee function measured via subjective rating scales was only moderately correlated with objective performance towards the latter stages of the rehabilitation period, highlighting a disparity between perceived and actual capabilities during the early to intermediate stages of recovery (pre-surgery to 24 weeks). In contrast to previous research in running and cycling exercise, the investigation of self-perception and TD during an IIF revealed evidence of both linear and curvilinear trends in perceptual response. Linear trends were observed at exercise intensities of 60% to 80% of baseline volitional peak force, whilst curvilinear patterns of response were apparent at intensities of 60% peak force, and under conditions of exercise-induce muscle damage. Evidence of a negatively accelerating curvilinear response may reflect an underestimation of performance, and questions the utility of self-perception to predict TD in isolated muscle exercise. These combined findings highlight a need for further research before confirming the efficacy of self-perception with regard to regulating exercise during rehabilitative-type activities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:629268 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Shepherd, J. |
| Publisher | Nottingham Trent University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/132/ |
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