If you're in an arm cast consider creatine to keep up your muscle

Here's a very simple find that seems intriguing. Say your arm is in a cast and you can't work out. The old saw in muscle work is use it or lose it.

Turns out, at least for young men who haven't done creatine before, that doing *some* creatine supplementation makes a difference in terms of preserving lean tissue in the upper limbs.

Johnston, APW, Burke, DG, MacNeil, LG, and Candow, DG. Effect of creatine supplementation during cast-induced immobilization on the preservation of muscle mass, strength, and endurance. J Strength Cond Res 23(1): 116-120, 2009-

Muscle and strength loss will occur during periods of physical inactivity and immobilization. Creatine supplementation may have a favorable effect on muscle mass and strength independently of exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of creatine supplementation on upper-limb muscle mass and muscle performance after immobilization. Before the study, creatine-naive men (n = 7; 18-25 years) were assessed for lean tissue mass (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), strength (1-repetition maximum [1RM] isometric single arm elbow flexion/extension), and muscle endurance (maximum number of single-arm isokinetic elbow flexion/extension repetitions at 60% 1RM). After baseline measures, subjects had their dominant or nondominant (random assignment) upper limb immobilized (long arm plaster cast) at 90[degrees] elbow flexion. Using a single-blind crossover design, subjects received placebo (maltodextrin; 4 x 5 g[middle dot]d-1) during days 1-7 and creatine (4 x 5 g[middle dot]d-1) during days 15-21. The cast was removed during days 8-14 and 22-29. The dependent measures of lean tissue mass, strength, and endurance were assessed at baseline, postcast, and after the study. During immobilization, compared with isocaloric placebo, creatine supplementation better maintained lean tissue mass (Cr +0.9% vs. PLA -3.7%, p

The authors caution that results by others of testing lower limb immobilization has not found these results. They wonder if it's the ratio of fiber types in the upper limbs or other factors that show these results. Suffice it to say, if you find yourself in an arm cast, you may want to consider trying some creatine to reduce "myoplastic changes directly related to disuse atrophy, thereby facilitating the rehabilitation process."

Just be sure to get a good quality creatine :)