Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30900205›Full record

SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2019

Effect of Immobilisation on Neuromuscular Function In Vivo in Humans: A Systematic Review.

Matthew Campbell, Jo Varley-Campbell, Jon Fulford, Bryan Taylor, Katya N Mileva, Joanna L Bowtell

Erratum issued Registry-linked trialAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT07690150 (A Novel Angle), which is not on this map. Cited by 39 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07690150 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

A Novel Angle: Manipulating Knee Position to Understand Muscle Deterioration During Leg Immobilization

TypeinterventionalSponsorWageningen UniversityRan2026 to 2028Enrolled30ConditionsMuscle Atrophy, Disuse Atrophy, ImmobilizationArmsKnee immobilization brace (0°) for 5 days, Knee immobilization brace (60°) for 5 days
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

39 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Nonuniform loss of muscle strength and atrophy during bed rest: a systematic review.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2021
    Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Matthew CampbellSchool of Sport and Health Science, University of Exeter, St Lukes Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK. M.I.Campbell@exeter.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9988-746X
Jo Varley-CampbellDepartment of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Centre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), University College London, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Jon FulfordUniversity of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, St Lukes Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK.
Bryan TaylorSchool of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
Katya N MilevaSport and Exercise Science Research Centre, London South Bank University, London, SE1 0AA, UK.
Joanna L BowtellSchool of Sport and Health Science, University of Exeter, St Lukes Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMuscle strength loss following immobilisation has been predominantly attributed to rapid muscle atrophy. However, this cannot fully explain the magnitude of muscle strength loss, so changes in neuromuscular function (NMF) may be involved.

objectivesWe systematically reviewed literature that quantified changes in muscle strength, size and NMF following periods of limb immobilisation in vivo in humans.

methodsStudies were identified following systematic searches, assessed for inclusion, data extracted and quality appraised by two reviewers. Data were tabulated and reported narratively.

resultsForty eligible studies were included, 22 immobilised lower and 18 immobilised upper limbs. Limb immobilisation ranged from 12 h to 56 days. Isometric muscle strength and muscle size declined following immobilisation; however, change magnitude was greater for strength than size. Evoked resting twitch force decreased for lower but increased for upper limbs. Rate of force development either remained unchanged or slowed for lower and typically slowed for upper limbs. Twitch relaxation rate slowed for both lower and upper limbs. Central motor drive typically decreased for both locations, while electromyography amplitude during maximum voluntary contractions decreased for the lower and presented mixed findings for the upper limbs. Trends imply faster rates of NMF loss relative to size earlier in immobilisation periods for all outcomes.

conclusionsLimb immobilisation results in non-uniform loss of isometric muscle strength, size and NMF over time. Different outcomes between upper and lower limbs could be attributed to higher degrees of central neural control of upper limb musculature. Future research should focus on muscle function losses and mechanisms following acute immobilisation. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO reference: CRD42016033692.

Indexed as

ImmobilizationMuscle ContractionMuscle StrengthElectromyographyEvoked Potentials, MotorHumansLower ExtremityMuscle, SkeletalMuscular AtrophyOrgan SizeReflexUpper Extremity

Identifiers

PMID30900205
PMCPMC6548068

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.