Detraining effects on the mechanical properties and morphology of rat tibiae

To study bone adaptation to detraining in growing rats, nine weeks-old immature female Wistar rats (n=110) were subjected to treadmill running programs (30 or 60 minutes-a-day) for up to 15 weeks, followed by unrestricted cage activities for the subsequent 15 weeks. The results revealed that (1) the cross-sectional area and mechanical properties of the midshaft bone significantly increased in response to running exercise, (2) its structural properties remained unchanged after the cessation of exercise, whereas the material properties returned to control level at a relatively early stage, (3) in the metaphysis, cortical bone area remained unchanged but trabecular bone area decreased in response to running exercise, (4) both areas slightly increased after the cessation of exercise, and (5) the changes in the mechanical properties and morphology of bone depended upon the repetition number and/or the duration of exercise, and were larger with longer duration of exercise.