Efecto de la crioterapia en la articulación tibiotarsiana en el área de sección transversa del tibial anterior y el sóleo en ratas

Introduction: Cryotherapy is used to treat acute joint inflammation, but its effect on muscles associated with the injured joint has not yet been studied. Objective: To evaluate the effect of cryotherapy on the tibiotarsal joint in the cross-sectional area (CSA) of tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus muscles in rats with acute joint inflammation. Materials and methods : Experimental study conducted on 32 Wistar rats that were randomly assigned to four groups: Control, Inflammation, Cryotherapy-A and Cryotherapy-B. The CSA of muscle fibers was measured 72 hours after initiating the experiment. Results: In the case of the tibialis anterior muscle, there was a significant reduction in the CSA muscle fibers in the Inflammation and Cryotherapy-B groups compared to the Control group, while no significant reduction was observed in the Cryotherapy-A group in relation to the Control group. Regarding the soleus muscle, a significant CSA reduction was observed in all experimental groups. Conclusion: The use of cryotherapy once a day for three days attenuates the atrophic effect of acute joint inflammation on the TA muscle, confirming its importance for controlling the deleterious effects of acute inflammation on fast-twitch muscles.