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Fibrosis and intercellular collagen connections from four weeks of muscle strains
Author(s) -
Stauber William T.,
Knack Kathleen K.,
Miller Gerald R.,
Grimmett Juanita G.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.880190402
Subject(s) - strain (injury) , fibrosis , connective tissue , extracellular matrix , soleus muscle , extracellular , degeneration (medical) , muscle tissue , anatomy , skeletal muscle , muscle damage , biology , pathology , medicine , endocrinology , microbiology and biotechnology
The effect of repeated cycles of muscle strain was studied in the soleus muscle of female rats. Muscle strains were repeated 3X/week for 1 month using two different strain protocols. Striking changes, including marked variability in fiber size, evidence of degeneration and regeneration, and an expanded extracellular matrix were pronounced in the fast stretched muscles. Using scanning electron microscopy, fibrosis was confirmed in the faststretched muscles but not in the slow‐stretched muscles. However, the slowstretched muscles did contain struts of connective tissue joining adjacent myofibers. Therefore, repeated muscle strains at high strain rates produced morphological changes similar to many myopathies, including fibrosis, whereas adaptation occurred in response to the same number of strains at slow strain rates. Such diverse tissue responses have relevance to the understanding of the mechanisms of skeletal muscle dysfunction in cumulative trauma disorders and in the design of preventive actions and treatments. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.