scholarly journals Use of local muscle flaps to cover leg bone exposures

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 434-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco d'Avila ◽  
Diogo Franco ◽  
Bianca d'Avila ◽  
Marcio Arnaut Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius ◽  
Muscle Transposition ◽  
Muscle Flaps ◽  
Exposed Bone ◽  
Initial Injury ◽  
Bone Exposure ◽  
Skin Coverage ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle

Objective: To evaluate the use of the medial gastrocnemius muscle and/or soleus muscle flaps as surgical treatment of the leg bone exposure.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients undergoing transposition of the medial gastrocnemius and / or soleus for treating exposed bone in the leg, from January 1976 to July 2009, gathering information on epidemiological data, the etiology the lesion, the time between the initial injury and muscle transposition, the muscle used to cover the lesion, the healing evolution of the skin coverage and the function of the gastrocnemius-soleus unit.Results: 53 patients were operated, the ages varying between nine and 84 years (mean age 41); 42 were male and 11 female. The main initial injury was trauma (84.8%), consisting of tibia and / or fibula fracture. The most frequently used muscle was the soleus, in 40 cases (75.5%). The rank of 49 patients (92.5%) was excellent or good outcome, of three (5.6%) as regular and of one (1.9%) as unsatisfactory.Conclusion: the treatment of bone exposure with local muscle flaps (gastrocnemius and/or soleus) enables obtaining satisfactory results in covering of exposed structures, favoring local vascularization and improving the initial injury. It offers the advantage of providing a treatment in only one surgical procedure, an earlier recovery and reduced hospital stay.

The effect of long-term immobilization on the motor unit population of the cat medial gastrocnemius muscle

Neuroscience ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 725-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.F. Mayer ◽  
R.E. Burke ◽  
J. Toop ◽  
J.A. Hodgson ◽  
K. Kanda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Unit ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle

Voluntary control of forward leaning posture relates to low-frequency neural inputs to the medial gastrocnemius muscle

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 187-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatsunori Watanabe ◽  
Ippei Nojima ◽  
Hideshi Sugiura ◽  
Basma Yacoubi ◽  
Evangelos A. Christou
Keyword(s):  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Voluntary Control ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle

Activity and motor unit size in partially denervated rat medial gastrocnemius

1994 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 2663-2671 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Einsiedel ◽  
A. R. Luff
Keyword(s):  
Motor Unit ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Motor Units ◽  
Ventral Root ◽  
Treadmill Walking ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius ◽  
Unit Size ◽  
Partial Denervation ◽  
Motoneuron Activity ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle

The aim of the study was to determine whether increased motoneuron activity induced by treadmill walking would alter the extent of motoneuron sprouting in the partially denervated rat medial gastrocnemius muscle. An extensive partial denervation was effected by unilateral section of the L5 ventral root, and it is very likely that all units remaining in the medial gastrocnemius were used in treadmill walking. Rats were trained for 1.5 h/day and after 14 days were walking at least 1 km/day. Motor unit characteristics were determined 24 days after the partial denervation and were compared with units from partially denervated control (PDC) animals and with units from normal (control) animals. In PDC rats, force developed by slow, fast fatigue-resistant, and fast intermediate-fatigable motor units increased substantially compared with control animals; that of fast-fatigable units did not increase. In partially denervated exercised animals, force developed by slow and fast-fatigue-resistant units showed no further increase, but fast-intermediate- and fast-fatigable units showed significant increases compared with those in PDC animals. The changes in force were closely paralleled by changes in innervation ratios. We concluded that neuronal activity is an important factor in determining the rate of motoneuron sprouting.

Fast-to-Slow Conversion Following Chronic Low-Frequency Activation of Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle in Cats. II. Motoneuron Properties

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 2605-2615 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Munson ◽  
Robert C. Foehring ◽  
Lorne M. Mendell ◽  
Tessa Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Motor Units ◽  
Input Resistance ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius ◽  
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
Chronic Stimulation ◽  
General Hypothesis ◽  
Slow Type ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle

Munson, John B., Robert C. Foehring, Lorne M. Mendell, and Tessa Gordon. Fast-to-slow conversion following chronic low-frequency activation of medial gastrocnemius muscle in cats. II. Motoneuron properties. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 2605–2615, 1997. Chronic stimulation (for 2–3 mo) of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle nerve by indwelling electrodes renders the normally heterogeneous MG muscle mechanically and histochemically slow (type SO). We tested the hypothesis that motoneurons of MG muscle thus made type SO by chronic stimulation would also convert to slow phenotype. Properties of all single muscle units became homogeneously type SO (slowly contracting, nonfatiguing, nonsagging contraction during tetanic activation). Motoneuron electrical properties were also modified in the direction of type S, fatigue-resistant motor units. Two separate populations were identified (on the basis of afterhyperpolarization, rheobase, and input resistance) that likely correspond to motoneurons that had been fast (type F) or type S before stimulation. Type F motoneurons, although modified by chronic stimulation, were not converted to the type S phenotype, despite apparent complete conversion of their muscle units to the slow oxidative type (type SO). Muscle units of the former type F motor units were faster and/or more powerful than those of the former type S motor units, indicating some intrinsic regulation of motor unit properties. Experiments in which chronic stimulation was applied to the MG nerve cross-regenerated into skin yielded changes in motoneuron properties similar to those above, suggesting that muscle was not essential for the effects observed. Modulation of group Ia excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude during high-frequency trains, which in normal MG motoneurons can be either positive or negative, was negative in 48 of 49 chronically stimulated motoneurons. Negative modulation is characteristic of EPSPs in motoneurons of most fatigue-resistant motor units. The general hypothesis of a periphery-to-motoneuron retrograde mechanism was supported, although the degree of control exerted by the periphery may vary: natural type SO muscle appears especially competent to modify motoneuron properties. We speculate that activity-dependent regulation of the neurotrophin-(NT) 4/5 in muscle plays an important role in controlling muscle and motoneuron properties.

Mechanical stimulation of the plantar foot surface attenuates soleus muscle atrophy induced by hindlimb unloading in rats

2005 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 739-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonios Kyparos ◽  
Daniel L. Feeback ◽  
Charles S. Layne ◽  
Daniel A. Martinez ◽  
Mark S. F. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Atrophy ◽  
Soleus Muscle ◽  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Hindlimb Unloading ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius ◽  
Type I ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Plantar Surface ◽  
Male Wistar Rats ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle

Unloading-induced muscle atrophy occurs in the aging population, bed-ridden patients, and astronauts. This study was designed to determine whether dynamic foot stimulation (DFS) applied to the plantar surface of the rat foot can serve as a countermeasure to soleus muscle atrophy normally observed in hindlimb unloaded (HU) rats. Forty-four mature (6 mo old), male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to ambulatory control, HU alone, HU with active DFS (i.e., plantar contact with active inflation), HU with passive DFS (i.e., plantar contact without active inflation), and HU while wearing a DFS boot with no plantar contact groups. Application of active DFS during HU significantly counteracted the atrophic response by preventing ∼85% of the reduction in type I myofiber cross-sectional area (CSA) in the soleus while preventing ∼57% of the reduction in type I myofiber CSA and 43% of the reduction in type IIA myofiber CSA of the medial gastrocnemius muscle. Wearing of a DFS boot without active inflation prevented myofiber atrophy in the soleus of HU animals in a fashion similar to that observed in HU animals that wore an actively inflated DFS boot. However, when a DFS boot without plantar surface contact was worn during HU, no significant protection from HU-induced myofiber atrophy was observed. These results illustrate that the application of mechanical foot stimulation to the plantar surface of the rat foot is an effective countermeasure to muscle atrophy induced by HU.

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