Inhibitory Effect of a Combination of Thermotherapy with Exercise Therapy on Progression of Muscle Atrophy

[目的]探讨短期热负荷联合跑步机运动或神经肌肉电刺激对废用性肌肉萎缩的抑制作用及其机制。[对象与方法]将Wistar大鼠的踝关节固定在足底最大屈曲位置，取出固定物进行干预，每日1次。将大鼠分为6组进行干预：对照组、固定组、跑台跑组、热跑台跑组、神经肌肉电刺激组、热神经肌肉电刺激组。[结果]只有在跑台运动前给予热负荷的组，废用性肌肉萎缩的进展才受到抑制。在萎缩机制方面，促进蛋白质合成和修复的热休克蛋白72的表达增强，而促进蛋白质降解的蛋白质连接酶E3的表达受到抑制。[结论]废用性肌萎缩患者和老年人在运动治疗前进行热疗可提高运动治疗的效果。

[Purpose] This study was performed to investigate the inhibitory effect of a short-term thermal load in combination with treadmill running or neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the progression of disuse muscle atrophy and its causative mechanism. [Subjects and Methods] The ankle joints of Wistar rats were fixed at maximum plantar flexion, and the fixation was removed for intervention once a day. The rats were divided into 6 groups for intervention : control, fixation, treadmill running, thermal treadmill running, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and thermal neuromuscular electrical stimulation groups. [Results] The progression of disuse muscle atrophy was inhibited only in the group given a thermal load before treadmill running. Regarding the atrophy mechanism, the expression of heat shock protein 72, which promotes protein synthesis and repair, was enhanced, while the expression of protein ligase E3, which promotes protein degradation, was inhibited. [Conclusion] These findings suggest that thermotherapy prior to exercise therapy promotes the effect of exercise therapy in patients with disuse muscle atrophy and elderly persons.