The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of muscle atrophy in a hind limb of Sprague-Dawley rats, which had been immobilized for a certain period of time.

The experimental research was performed on two groups of Sprague-Dowley adult rats: group I - 10 rats on which elastic bandage immobilization of one hind limb was performed for a period of 25 days; group II - 10 non-immobilized rats, control group. Several parameters were monitored: macroscopic changes regarding the thickness of the immobilized limb compared to the other limb; histopathologic changes of the immobilized hind limb musculature compared to the contralateral limb (free); changes in body weight during the immobilization period.

The extremely significant decrease of thigh circumference was found, at 4 cm from the knee joint. Muscle fragments harvested from the immobilized limbs had shown a series of changes: inequalities in fibers size, cytoplasmic homogenization, centralization or nuclei loss phenomena, significant decrease of muscle fiber diameter.

The muscular atrophy is always produced as a result of striated muscle immobilization and represents a phenomenon that can be demonstrated both macroscopic and microscopic.