Resolving Fatigue Mechanisms Determining Exercise Performance: Integrative Physiology at its Finest!

The origins of fatigue during exercise have intrigued scientists\ud for well over a century and have proven to be a rich, but\ud complex, area of investigation. Understanding fatigue and the\ud consequent exercise limitation is not just an intellectual curiosity,\ud but has far-reaching implications that traverse the broad\ud spectrum of our communities. In chronically diseased or\ud acutely ill patients, fatigue and exercise limitation can profoundly\ud restrict daily activities and thus impair quality of life.\ud In healthy individuals, fatigue can restrict performance in\ud diverse occupational duties such as firefighting, the military,\ud construction, and laboring, as well as limiting participation in\ud recreational activities and sports. Most readers would link\ud fatigue and exercise limitation to the grand stage of national\ud and international sporting competition, adversely affecting\ud elite athletic performance, with implications for medals, glory,\ud and the sports industry. Fatigue and exercise limitation also\ud impact on the young through to the aged, thus affecting all\ud persons at multiple stages of our lives. It is therefore not\ud surprising that investigation into the underlying causes of\ud fatigue and exercise limitation has attracted special attention of\ud scientists from clinical, basic, and applied science specializations