Free mobilization and low- to high-intensity exercise in immobilization-induced muscle atrophy

1 Accident and Trauma Research Center and Research Center of Sports Medicine, The President Urho Kekkonen Institute for Health Promotion Research, FIN-33500 Tampere, Finland; 2 Department of Morphology, National Institute of Traumatology, H-1430 Budapest, Hungary; 3 Medical School and Institute of Medical Technology, University of Tampere, and Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, FIN-33520 Tampere; and 4 Sports Medical Research Unit, Paavo Nurmi Center, University of Turku, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland After 3 wk of immobilization, the effects of free cage activity and low- and high-intensity treadmill running (8 wk) on the morphology and histochemistry of the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles in male Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated. In both muscles, immobilization produced a significant ( P