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