We evaluated the influence of immobilization, free remobilization, remobilization with manual passive stretching, remobilization with neuromuscular electric stimulation (NMES) and remobilization with electric stimulation and associated passive stretching on some mechanical properties of the gastrocnemius muscle of female rats. Sixty female rats were assessed, being distributed into 6 experimental groups. One of these groups served as control. The animals of the five remaining groups had their right posterior limb immobilized for 14 consecutive days. From the five groups, one was sacrificed right after the immobilization period, a second group was released from immobilization, a third was submitted to the manual passive stretching technique for 10 consecutive days, a fourth was submitted to NMES for 10 consecutive days and the last one was submitted to NMES and manual passive stretching for 10 consecutive days. We found that the immobilization caused a significant reduction of the mechanical properties values evaluated on the muscle. The free remobilization could not reestablish any of the properties. The remobilization by manual passive stretching restored the mechanical properties of stretching at the proportionality limit, stiffness and resilience. The remobilization stimulated by NMES reestablished all of studied properties. The remobilization by electric stimulation and passive stretching reestablished the mechanical properties of stretching at the maximum limit, proportionality limit, and stiffness.
Electric stimulation; Immobilization; Skeletal muscle