title: Aspects of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the treatment of deconditioned patients in the acute care setting: the role of skeletal muscle.
abstract: Skeletal muscles are essential for movement as well as for survival. Knowledge about the organ skeletal muscle is underrepresented. Ageing and multiple chronic diseases are accompanied by loss of muscle mass, termed "muscle wasting". Nevertheless, muscles are one of the target organs within the rehabilitation process. This review highlights the role of skeletal muscles from various aspects, diagnostic procedures to quantify muscle mass and strength and, most importantly, lists countermeasures to muscle wasting. Although structured and progressive strength training is the cornerstone in the treatment of muscle wasting, several other methods exist to slow down or reverse the process of muscle wasting. Among them are neuromuscular electrical stimulation and alternative exercise modes, positioning, stretching and, as an emerging field, drug therapy.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physikalische Medizin und Rehabilitation, Karl Landsteiner Institut für Remobilisation und funktionale Gesundheit, Sozialmedizinisches Zentrum Süd - Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Spital mit Gottfried von Preyer'schem Kinderspital und Geriatriezentrum Favoriten, Kundratstrasse 3, 1100, Vienna, Austria. michael.quittan@wienkav.at.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quittan
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D056888:Patient Positioning; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D055070:Resistance Training; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation
keywords: Mechanisms; Muscle wasting; Physical and rehabilitation medicine; Prevention and treatment; Sarcopenia