Sep. 26, 2008 Women are four times more likely than men to
experience a broken forearm and require a cast (immobilization).
To examine whether the effects of casting were similar between
the sexes, researchers examined immobilized volunteers for a
period of three weeks. They determined that while men were able
to regain 99% of their strength within a week of removing the
cast, women’s strength was still 30% lower when compared to
before the cast was applied. These finding may have implications
for the treatment of fractures based on gender lines. The study
is believed to be the first report of sex-differences in muscle
strength restoration following disuse. It was conducted by Brian
C. Clark, Richard L. Hoffman, and David W. Russ of Ohio
University, Athens; and Todd M. Manini of the University of
Florida, Gainesville. The researchers will discuss their study,
“Restoration of Voluntary Muscle Strength Following 3-Weeks of
Cast Immobilization Is Suppressed in Women Compared to Men,” at
the American Physiologica