Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of passive stretch on disuse muscle atrophy. Myotendinous junction of stretched or shortened soleus muscle in rat (n = 18) was stimulated at 10 Hz, 20 minutes/day, 5 times/week for 2 weeks by means of tapping. Muscle ATPase histochemical staining, followed by morphometrical analysis, demonstrated that type 1 fiber in stretch-stimulated group had significantly larger cross-sectional areas in comparison to hindlimb suspension group. Muscle wet weight and the percentage distribution of muscle fiber type did not change significantly as a result of stimulation.
The results suggest that disuse muscle atrophy is partly prevented by passive stretch-stimulation.
