Unlocking Resilience: How Endurance Resistance Training Transforms Knee Cartilage in Young Male Rats

Abstract

Objective: This study examines how endurance resistance training affects the thickness of young male rats’ knee joint hyaline cartilage. These results can later be replicated for the benefit of humans, and an appropriate exercise-based plan can be designed accordingly.
Methods: Twelve healthy young male rats were divided into an endurance exercise group (EG) and a sedentary control group (CG). The EG group climbed a ladder with weights, starting at 5% of their body weight and increasing to 40% over five weeks. Each session included 12-15 repetitions, 2-minute breaks, and lasted 30 minutes, five days a week.

Results: It was discovered that the EG had considerably thicker femoral hyaline cartilage than the CG (p=0.0048, Rt side; p=0.0049, Lt Side). The effects on tibial hyaline cartilage thickness were also significantly favoring EG over CG (p<0.001 on both sides).
Conclusion: This study indicates that endurance resistance exercise significantly improved femoral and tibial hyaline cartilage thickness parameters. These results imply endurance resistance training can enhance cartilage integrity and general health. These results support our hypotheses and point to promising directions for future research in exercise-based interventions for cartilage health. In particular, our findings imply that resistance training with endurance may benefit both hyaline cartilages in the knee joint of young male rats.