Fig. 3

Functional recovery aided by passive muscle stretch after injury induced by lengthening contractions (LC). Maximal isometric torque measured by supramaximal transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the ankle extensor muscles. Muscle stretch was performed in a single 15-min bout at 1 day after LC (indicated by an arrow on the x-axis). Rats exposed to LC were divided into two groups according to whether they underwent stretch (LC-alone vs. LC+Stretch). A control group consisting of rats not exposed to LC was also included (Control). Compared to the values in the Control group, torque was markedly decreased in the LC-alone and LC+Stretch groups at 2 days after LC, but the LC+Stretch group showed faster recovery. Significance at *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01 vs. LC-alone; ^†† p < 0.01 vs. Control. p values were computed by two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test. On day 14, no significant difference in torque was adventitiously detected between the LC-alone and LC+Stretch groups