Swimming Exercise in the Acute or Late Phase after Sciatic Nerve Crush Accelerates Nerve Regeneration

Abstract

There is no consensus about the best time to start exercise after peripheral nerve injury. We evaluated the morphological and functional characteristics of the sciatic nerves of rats that began to swim immediately after crush nerve injury (CS1), those that began to swim 14 days after injury (CS14), injured rats not submitted to swimming (C), and uninjured rats submitted to swimming (S). After 30 days the number of axons in CS1 and CS14 was lower than in C (P < 0.01). The diameter of axons and nerve fibers was larger in CS1 (P < 0.01) and CS14 (P < 0.05) than in C, and myelin sheath thickness was lower in all crushed groups (P < 0.05). There was no functional difference between CS1 and CS14 (P > 0.05). Swimming exercise applied during the acute or late phase of nerve injury accelerated nerve regeneration and synaptic elimination after axonotmesis, suggesting that exercise may be initiated immediately after injury.

Morphological Adjustments of the Radial Nerve Are Intensity-Dependent

“…However, data on RT effect on nerve morphology is absent. Teodori et al 22 showed enlargement of axon and nerve fiber diameter after only 30 days of swimming training, which demonstrated that beginning exercise just after Sciatic nerve injury stimulated nerve repair. On the other hand, Ilha et al 23 demonstrated that RT and ET must present different effects on motor function and nerve regeneration.…”

Effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on peripheral nerve regeneration using fibrin glue derived from snake venom

“…In fact, the previous studies analyzed confirm that the nerves regenerated in the interior of the graft present a lower number of fibers and dimensions that fail to reach the standard of the original intact nerve. Regardless, the functional benefits resulting from graft and neurorrhaphy procedures are undeniable when compared to their non-utilization [34,35].…”

Effects of the platelet-rich fibrin associated with physical exercise in a model of median nerve compression.

“…Teodori et al 40 evaluated free swimming for 30 minutes daily, in two weeks, performed from the first day or after 14 days of injury, as a treatment for sciatic nerve compressive injury in rats, a lesion similar to the one performed in the present study. They observed that both protocols were efficient for both functional and histomorphometric recovery.…”