Table 1.
Summary of the human studies in which the plantar flexor or the soleus muscle atrophy has been treated with exercise. Comparison with the results achieved in our study.
| N° of subjects | Muscle | Protocol | Treatment | Control | Intervention | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre (cm2) | Post (cm2) | % Change | Pre (cm2) | Post (cm2) | % Change | |||||
| Our study | 25 ankle sprain patients | Soleus CSA | 15 d of unilateral lower limb immobilization | 300 mg/day of allopurinol | 31.2 ± 4.6 | 28.6 ± 5.8 | 8.6 (p < 0.05) | 28.8 ± 4.6 | 27.7 ± 5.8 | 4.1 (NS) |
| 26 | 9 healthy men | Soleus PCSA | 20 d of bed rest | Isometric leg-press | 41.2 ± 9.5 | 35.0 ± 6.1 | 15.0 (p < 0.05) | 45.1 ± 9.2 | 40.3 ± 5.1 | 10.6 (p < 0.05) |
| 25 | 15 healthy men | Soleus PCSA | 20 d of bed rest | Dynamic leg press: knee extension and plantar flexion | 40.3 ± 7.4 | 35.4 ± 5.2 | 12.1 (p < 0.01) | 56.9 ± 18.1 | 51.3 ± 17.6 | 9.8 (p < 0.01) |
| 41 | 16 healthy men | Plantar flexor CSA | 21 d of unilateral lower-limb suspension | High-intensity resistance-training | — | — | 7.0 (p < 0.05) | — | — | ~0% |
| 27 | 12 healthy men | Plantar flexor PCSA | 20 d of bed rest | Leg press and plantar flexion resistance training | 138.3 ± 19.0 | 122.2 ± 24.3 | 12.7 (p < 0.05) | 117.9 ± 8.0 | 115.0 ± 10.5 | 3.2 (NS) |
| 42 | 11 healthy men | Plantar Flexor CSA | 20 d of unilateral lower limb suspension | Cycling training (80% of VO2peak) | — | — | 11.2 (p < 0.05) | — | — | 7.0 (p < 0.05) |
PCSA: Physiological Cross Sectional Area. PCSA = Muscle Volume × Cosine of the muscle fiber pennation angle × (fibre length)−1.
NS: Not significant.