Twitch tension, muscle weight, and fiber area of exercised reinnervating rat skeletal muscle.

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.