Research

Mixed

In women, initial skeletal muscle size (leg fat-free mass and quadriceps CSA) is positively associated with the magnitude of muscle atrophy following 14 days of immobilization.

For women undergoing immobilization, having larger muscles prior to injury may be associated with greater absolute muscle loss. However, this finding is based on a small group and needs confirmation. Do not let this discourage building muscle; focus on proper rehabilitation.

LimitedQualifiesLOW confidence
Specifically, the pre-immobilization leg fat-free mass for women was associated with a decrease in quadriceps CSA (r2 = 0.68; P = 0.006)... Furthermore, the pre-immobilization quadriceps CSA for women was associated with a decrease in quadriceps CSA (r2 = 0.54; P = 0.024)
Vernon G. Coffey et al. · Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism · 2023

Why this rating

Small sample size (n=9 women) limits statistical power and generalizability; described as 'preliminary' and 'potential'.

Source

Does initial skeletal muscle size or sex affect the magnitude of muscle loss in response to 14 days immobilization?

Vernon G. Coffey et al. · Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism · 2023

DOI 10.1139/apnm-2022-0458

rct · n=30Cited 8×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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