Research

Cellular

A single bout of lengthening muscle contractions activates satellite cells (SCs), with a peak increase of approximately 80% at 72 hours post-exercise compared to baseline.

Practitioners can utilize lengthening contractions in training to enhance muscle recovery and growth.

StrongSupportsmedium confidence
the number of SCs [neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM)-labeled cells] expressed relative to total myonuclei... peaked at T72 (approximately 80% increase vs. PRE, P<0.05).
Ciara E. O’Reilly et al. · Muscle & Nerve · 2008

Why this rating

The study involves a controlled exercise intervention with measurable outcomes.

Source

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and the satellite cell response following muscle lengthening contractions in humans

Ciara E. O’Reilly et al. · Muscle & Nerve · 2008

DOI 10.1002/mus.21146

cohort · n=8Cited 109×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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