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  • Title: Twitch tension, muscle weight, and fiber area of exercised reinnervating rat skeletal muscle.
    Author: Hie HB, van Nie CJ, Vermeulen-van der Zee E.
    Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil; 1982 Dec; 63(12):608-12. PubMed ID: 7149945.
    Abstract:
    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of dynamic exercise on weight and isometric twitch tension of the reinnervating rat gastrocnemius-plantaris muscle complex as well as on histology of the reinnervating plantaris muscle. Two groups of 6-week-old female Wistar rats, 1 control (n = 17) and 1 experimental (n = 17), were denervated unilaterally by cutting and resecting the sciatic nerve. To effect reinnervation a skin grafting operation was carried out on the nerve so that the gap caused by resection was bridged. The experimental group began exercising on a motor-driven treadmill 18 days following the graft. A progressive training program of 18 weeks of treadmill running, 5 days/week, was carried out by the animals. Training intensity was gradually increased until during the final 3 weeks they were running up a 25% grade at a speed of 720m/hour for 2 hours a day. Exercise did not damage the reinnervating muscle. Absolute wet weight and maximum isometric twitch tension of the reinnervating gastrocnemius-plantaris muscle complex were increased significantly, by 15 1/2% and 30% respectively, after exercise. Training resulted in a significant increase in fiber and muscle cross-sectional areas of the reinnervating plantaris, by 28% and 23% respectively. Exercise brought about no change in total relative amount of connective tissue in the reinnervating plantaris. This study indicates that dynamic exercise has a significant positive effect on the weight, twitch tension and histologic appearance of the reinnervating gastrocnemius-plantaris muscle and thus may enhance their functional recovery. It is likely that this type of training is also effective in the treatment of patients recovering from peripheral nerve injuries.
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