Effects of joint immobilization and hindlimb unloading on collagen fibers of soleus muscles in rats.
Tomohiro Matsumoto, Takeya Ono, Hideki Ishikura and 6 others
PMID 28744045WHAT IT FOUND
In rats, adding unloading to ankle fixation reduced ankle bend more than fixation alone, and the tissue measurements showed more Type I collagen in the combined group.
Key findings
01Adding hindlimb unloading to ankle fixation reduced ankle dorsiflexion more than fixation alone: 63.5 degrees versus 92.2 degrees.
02Type I collagen positive area was 5.8% in control, 9.7% with fixation alone, 4.3% with unloading alone, and 12.1% with fixation plus unloading.
03The results text says Type I collagen in the combined group was smaller than in the fixation group, but the table values are 12.1% and 9.7%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The experiment was in rats, not people. No human treatment was tested. The period was short. The group allocation description is inconsistent. One results sentence conflicts with the table about Type I collagen.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that immobilization plus unloading causes human contracture through Type I collagen. This was an animal experiment with imposed conditions and no patient outcome, and the text disagrees about the collagen comparison.