Research
Cellular
There was a persistent increase in aponeurosis volume associated with the injured muscle at 3 months and 12 months, but it was unaffected by protein supplementation.
Increased aponeurosis volume may indicate structural changes in muscle healing, regardless of protein intake.
StrongSupportsmedium confidence
There was a persistent increase in aponeurosis volume associated with the injured muscle at 3 months [sixfold enlarged, +17.3 cm 3 (+8.3 to 26.3 cm 3 ), p = 0.0005] and 12 months [fivefold enlarged, +10.4 cm 3 (5.3–15.4 cm 3 ), p = 0.0003], but it was unaffected by protein supplementation.
Why this rating
Based on a randomized controlled trial design.
Source
Effects of Protein Supplementation During Early Rehabilitation on Muscle Volume and Function After Acute Muscle Strain Injuries: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Kenneth H. Mertz et al. · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports · 2025
DOI 10.1111/sms.70043
rct · n=50
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Muscle volume decreased in the injured muscle compared to the contralateral healthy muscle during the intervention by −9.4% (−13.5% to −5.3%), p < 0.0001, and this decrease persisted at 12 months.Strong
- No effects of protein supplementation were observed on muscle volume, muscle strength, or return to sport (RTS).Strong
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