Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 9, 2025

Application of Consistent Massage-Like Perturbations on Mouse Calves and Monitoring the Resulting Intramuscular Pressure Changes
Published on: September 20, 2019
Fast repetitive stretch suppresses denervation-induced muscle fibrosis
Shoji Tanaka1, Pleiades Tiharu Inaoka1, Asami Yano2
1Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan.
Background:
We aimed to examine the influence of different speeds of stretching on denervation-induced skeletal muscle fibrosis.
Methods:
Stretching was passively applied to rat plantaris muscle denervated by sciatic nerve excision in three different cycles of 0.5, 3, or 12 cycles/min, for 20 min/d for 2 weeks.
Results:
Gene analysis results showed greater expression of fibrosis-related factors with fast stretching compared with non-stretched muscle. Laser Doppler blood flow analysis indicated reduced intramuscular blood flow during stretching. Histological analysis demonstrated fibrotic area decreases in 12 cycles/min stretched muscle compared with non-stretched muscle.
Conclusions:
Slower stretching induced greater mRNA expression of collagen and fibroblasts and greater decrement of blood flow. Histologically, faster stretching suppressed fibrosis. These results suggest that fast repetitive stretching of denervated muscle might suppress processes of muscle fibrosis.
Related Concept Videos
Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open....
Directly Acting Muscle Relaxants: Dantrolene and Botulinum Toxin
The binding of dantrolene to the RYR1...
Muscle Stimulation Frequency
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Somatic Spinal Reflexes
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...
Classification of Skeletal Muscle Relaxants
Peripherally acting skeletal muscle relaxants interfere with the neurotransmission at the neuromuscular end plate to induce paralysis during...
Skeletal Muscle Relaxants: Therapeutic Uses

