Quantifying the Toll of Disuse: A Meta-Analysis of Skeletal Muscle Mass and Strength Loss Following Upper Limb Immobilization.

ABSTRACT: Enhancing our understanding of the specific characteristics that disuse-induced models should possess, based on the immobilized joint, could significantly enhance the effectiveness of research in this field. Objective: Our objective was to quantify the decrease in skeletal muscle mass and strength in humans subjected to upper limb disuse-induced models. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, LILACS, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Epistemonikos databases were searched from inception to November 2025. Randomized controlled trials, cross-over clinical trials, or quasi-experimental studies performed in healthy adults ≥18 years old, subjected to an induced-disuse model to investigate the effects on skeletal muscle mass or strength were included. Results: Forty-five stud

SUBMITTER: Cuyul-Vasquez I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12733654 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature