The Effect of Aging and Immobilisation on Muscle

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00559806

Enrollment

Registered

2007-11-16

Start date

2007-01-31

Completion date

2007-05-31

Last updated

2007-11-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

immobilisation, aging, resistance training, atrophy, The effect of immobilisation in elderly compared to young individuals

Brief summary

The debilitating effects of immobilisation on muscle strength and size in young individuals are well documented. Moreover, sarcopenia has long been recognized as a major cause of muscle strength loss in old age, however, changes in muscle mass and architecture with immobilisation in the elderly has not previously been investigated. This is contrasted by the fact that the elderly population more often undergoes periods of immobilization and disuse not only due to joint pain but also due to a higher degree of co morbidity and hospitalisation.The purpose of the present study was to compare the effect of a 2 week period of unilateral immobilisation on the physiological muscle cross sectional area, maximal isometric muscle strength, specific force, muscle fascicle length and muscle fibre pennation angle in young and old healthy men.

Interventions

OTHER2 weeks of unilateral immobilisation and 4 weeks of resistance training

2 weeks of whole leg casting (side randomized)followed by 4 weeks of unilateral resistance training. The non-imm side served as a within-subject control

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

MALE

Age

20 Years to 80 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Young healthy males (age 20-30 yrs)or old healthy males (age 60-80 yrs)

Exclusion criteria

* Musculoskeletal disorder * Diabetes * Cardiovascular disease * Neurological diseases; or * Cognitive disorders

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
muscle cross sectional area, maximal isometric muscle strength, specific force, muscle fascicle length and muscle fibre pennation	2 weeks of immobilisation and 4 weeks of resistance training

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
single muscle fiber area, expression of myostatin and IGF-1 (RNA), changes in satellite activation and number	2 weeks of imm and 4 weeks of resistance training

Countries

Denmark

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026