More About Muscles - No, This is Not a Tribute Column for Jack Lalane!

You may recall my post about issues related to deterioration of the muscle tissues in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, the muscles that comprise the calf. That there seems to be a correlation between the muscle atrophy associated with club feet, and subsequent changes later in life. Well, it appears such tissue atrophy also occurs naturally, as this abstract reveals. But it still doesn't fully explain the differences found between (otherwise) healthy individuals, and us post-clubbies. And since the only current studies related to this tissue issue appear to be done vis-a-vis cadaver studies, I suspect none of us really wants to wait for our own chance to contribute to such studies, if we have to wait that long, and be in that bad of a condition just to make it in the study. I know I don't.

It seems to me an excellent study could be accomplished through simple MRI comparisons. Recruit as many post-clubbies as you can to first have an MRI done bi-lateral lower legs, centrally focused on the calf region. Add to this circumference measurements at one-inch increments from the center of the knee to the medial malleolus (that knob on the inside of your ankle,) every one inch, bi-lateral. Finish it off with a surgical history re: club-foot Sx, and type/number of castings used for your "correction." Oh, yes - age - gotta have that, and maybe sex - we all like sex, don't we? You don't? Oh, sorry.

Now, this study would show prevalence, degree, and age/sex relationships against degree of tissue deterioration. This could then be cross-compared to the results in the above-cited study by Fujiwara K, Asai H, Toyama H, Kunita K, Yaguchi C, Kiyota N, Tomita H, Jacobs JV. in:

Changes in muscle thickness of gastrocnemius and soleus associated with age and sex.

So, any grad students out there looking for a dissertation topic? You come forward with your interest, and I'll help you recruit subjects. The nice thing is, this can be done as a collaborative effort with local orthopedists and podiatrists who already see such people who would qualify as subjects.

Well? What do you say? Any takers?