Lower extremity muscle thickness during 30-day 6 degrees head-down bed rest with isotonic and isokinetic exercise training.

Muscle thickness was measured in 19 bed-rested (BR) men (32-42 year) subjected to isotonic (ITE, cycle ergometer) and isokinetic (IKE, torque ergometer) lower extremity exercise training, and no exercise (NOE) training. Thickness was measured with ultrasonography in anterior thigh--rectus femoris (RF) and vastus intermedius (VI), and combined posterior leg--soleus, flexor hallucis longus, and tibialis posterior (S + FHL + TP)--muscles. Compared with ambulatory control values, thickness of the (S + FHL + TP) decreased by 9%-12% (p < 0.05) in all three test groups. The (RF) thickness was unchanged in the two exercise groups, but decreased by 10% (p < 0.05) in the NOE. The (VI) thickness was unchanged in the ITE group, but decreased by 12%-16% (p < 0.05) in the IKE and NOE groups. Thus, intensive, alternating, isotonic cycle ergometer exercise training is as effective as intensive, intermittent, isokinetic exercise training for maintaining thicknesses of rectus femoris and vastus intermedius anterior thigh muscles, but not posterior leg muscles, during prolonged BR deconditioning.