Effect of swimming on reinnervation of rat skeletal muscle

Abstract

SYNOPSIS There are no studies that define the optimum intensity or time to begin exercising reinnervating muscle. Exercise is a basic therapeutic procedure in the management of neuromuscular disease, yet far less is known of its applications than, say) chemotherapeutic agents in infectious disease. Fundamental knowledge is lacking in areas one would deem crucial. What should be the intensity of exercises in a given type of impairment? What is the proper duration of exercise ? One hears opinions regarding these variables but nowhere can one find solid principles.Several reports have indicated that patients with disease of the lower motoneurone lost strength after excessive activity (Lovett, 1917;Kendall and Kendall, 1939;Lundervold, 1942;Green, 1949;Seddon, 1949;Hyman, 1953;Mitchell, 1953;Bennett and Knowlton, 1958;Hnik, 1962). Clinical studies designed to determine the effect of exercise after neuronal damage have indicated that exercise does not damage muscle but, on the contrary, they have consistently borne out the efficacy of brief repetitive therapeutic exercises (Delorme et al

Activity dependent therapies modulate the spinal changes that motoneurons suffer after a peripheral nerve injury

“…The effects of exercise on motor function after peripheral nerve injury are a bit controversial, with some studies concluding that exercise has beneficial effects (Asensio-Pinilla et al, 2009;Marqueste et al, 2004;Van Meeteren et al, 1997;Sabatier et al, 2008;Udina et al, 2011a) and others indicating it is detrimental (Gutmann and Jokoubek, 1963;Herbison et al, 1980;Herbison et al, 1974;Van Meeteren et al, 1997;Soucy et al, 1996). Moreover, activity-dependent therapies can also modulate the plastic changes observed after peripheral nerve injury, as reported for the modulation of the H reflex (Asensio-Pinilla et al, 2009;Udina et al, 2011a;Vivó et al, 2008) and of pain responses (Cobianchi et al, 2010(Cobianchi et al, , 2013.…”

Passive and active exercise improve regeneration and muscle reinnervation after peripheral nerve injury in the rat

“…Besides, low‐ but not high‐intensity treadmill training potentiates Schwann cell proliferation in the regenerating sciatic nerve in rats 42. Nevertheless, longer term hyperactivity induced by tenotomy of synergist muscles,43 intensive swimming,39, 44 or treadmill running45, 46 for 2–6 weeks after bilateral crush lesion of the sciatic nerve in rodents tended to show deleterious effects on parameters of muscle function recovery. On the other hand, mice running voluntarily after their sciatic nerves were cut and resutured initially demonstrated delayed reinnervation, whereas, at a later stage, post‐lesion nerve maturation was improved, as demonstrated by increased efficacy of synaptic transmission 47.…”

Whisking Recovery After Automated Mechanical Stimulation During Facial Nerve Regeneration

“…For example, Van Meeteren et al demonstrated that mild daily exercise (4 hours of hindpaw stretching) augmented functional recovery in the early phase (persisting into the late phase) after sciatic nerve crush in the rats 27 , whereas Herbison et al showed that intense swimming did not enhance the repair of reinnervated muscle, and that treadmill running led to a deleterious effect on muscle function recovery. 32, 33 …”