Alterations in skeletal muscle related to short-term impaired physical mobility

The purpose of this investigation was to describe and compare two methods of recovery of atrophied skeletal muscle following short-term impaired physical mobility. An animal model was used to study morphologic adaptations of atrophied soleus and plantaris muscles to the effects of 7 days of hind-limb suspension (HS) followed by either sedentary recovery or run training during a 28-day recovery period. Significant atrophy, demonstrated by decreased mean fiber area (MFA, in square micrometers), occurred during the 7-day period of HS. During recovery, MFA returned to control values 14 days earlier in the sedentary compared with the trained groups. Runs training following short-term atrophy induced by HS did not result in the high levels of frank muscle damage and type IIC fibers previously reported following long-term (28-day) atrophy.