The impact of bed rest on human skeletal muscle metabolism

[SWAlexander]

Highlights​

• •
  Muscle glycogen build-up in bed rest reduces insulin sensitivity and further storage
• •
  Muscle lipid overload, lipotoxicity, and inflammation develop during bed rest
• •
  Bed rest shifts muscle metabolism from fatty acid to glucose oxidation
• •
  Intrinsic mitochondrial alterations occur after long-term bed rest

Summary​

Insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility decrease in response to bed rest, but the temporal and causal adaptations in human skeletal muscle metabolism are not fully defined. Here, we use an integrative approach to assess human skeletal muscle metabolism during bed rest and provide a multi-system analysis of how skeletal muscle and the circulatory system adapt to short- and long-term bed rest (German Clinical Trials: DRKS00015677). We uncover that intracellular glycogen accumulation after short-term bed rest accompanies a rapid reduction in systemic insulin sensitivity and less GLUT4 localization at the muscle cell membrane, preventing further intracellular glycogen deposition after long-term bed rest. We provide evidence of a temporal link between the accumulation of intracellular triglycerides, lipotoxic ceramides, and sphingomyelins and an altered skeletal muscle mitochondrial structure and function after long-term bed rest. An intracellular nutrient overload therefore represents a crucial determinant for rapid skeletal muscle insulin insensitivity and mitochondrial alterations after prolonged bed rest.
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-m...m/retrieve/pii/S2666379123006018?showall=true

 

[Hope_eternal]

I’ve most certainly worried a tremendous amount about how being bedridden is affecting my son’s body. Having to be in bed with very minimal activity for over a year is not ideal. Unfortunately that’s all he’s able to do at this time. Just another pitfall of this illness. He surely has tried to increase activity and every time he pays a price and crashes for days.

 

[wabi-sabi]

I lie here worrying about osteoporosis.

 

[GreenEdge]

I lie here worrying about osteoporosis.

During times of forced bed rest to recover, one should do regular short manageable bursts of weight bearing exercise. Keep it short but regular. Be careful not to fall.

 

[wabi-sabi]

Keep it short but regular.

I what what I can, but I still worry it's not enough! I guess the worry is pointless. I try to do a squat and a calf raise daily.

 

[GreenEdge]

I try to do a squat and a calf raise daily.

Great, these will retain coordination, balance and muscle.

To retain bone density, I think bones need to receive impact forces. Try these exercises:

1. Seated heal bangs: – Simulates the impact force of walking.
   Sit on a chair (or side of bed) and raise one heal at a time, just bending one knee to raise one heal and then bang that heal into the ground. Alternate left, right, left, right. Start with the tempo of walking. Then try upping the tempo to running.
   
   
2. Standing heal bangs: – Simulates the impact force of running.
   Same as above only standing.
   
   
3. Standing double heal bang: – Simulates the impact force of jumping.
   Stand tall with bum back slightly (head level, eyes straight ahead) and do a small calf raise to lift both heals off the ground while keeping your bum back slightly (knees slightly bent). Then let both heals drop and impact the ground. The impact force will go right up through your spine (so make sure you keep your head level).

 

[Violeta]

I have seen sites with exercises to do while in bed. It still takes some energy to make yourself do them. I wonder if that information is still on the web.

These exercises would be a good place to start.

https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/beginner-bed-exercises