Circuit modeling of the electrical impedance: part III. Disuse following bone fracture.

Multifrequency measurements of the electrical impedance of muscle have been extended to the study of disuse following bone fracture, and analyzed using the five-element circuit model used earlier in the study of the effects of disease. Eighteen subjects recovering from simple fractures on upper or lower limbs were examined (ten males, eight females, aged 18-66). Muscles on uninjured contralateral limbs were used as comparison standards, and results are presented in terms of the ratios p(injured)/p(uninjured), where p stands for the circuit parameter r1, r2, r3, 1/c1 or 1/c2. These are strikingly similar to the diseased-to-healthy ratios for patients with neuromuscular disease, reported in part I of this series. In particular, r1 is virtually unaffected and the ratios for r2, r3, 1/c1 and 1/c2 can be as large as in serious disease. Furthermore, the same pattern of relationships between the parameters is found, suggesting that there is a common underlying mechanism for the impedance changes. Atrophy and fibrosis are examined as candidates for that mechanism, but it is argued that their effects are too small to explain the observed changes. Fundamental considerations aside, the sensitivity, reproducibility and technical simplicity of the technique recommend its use for in-flight assessments of muscles during orbital or interplanetary missions.