Select the best answer for the question.
Muscle fibers will become
A. inflamed
B. small
C. tight
D. hot
when they’re damaged through exercise.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is B. small.
Explanation:
When muscle fibers are damaged through exercise, they can become smaller, a process known as muscle fiber atrophy. This is a normal part of muscle recovery after strenuous physical activity, particularly in exercises that involve eccentric contraction (where the muscle lengthens while under tension, such as in lowering weights). The muscle fibers experience microscopic tears during intense exercise, especially during strength training or activities that push the muscles beyond their usual capacity.
Process of Muscle Damage and Recovery:
- Muscle Stress and Microtears:
Intense exercise, especially resistance training or activities that involve high exertion, creates small tears in muscle fibers. These microtears, although invisible to the naked eye, disrupt the muscle’s structural integrity. The body perceives these tears as damage that needs to be repaired. - Inflammation Response:
After exercise, an inflammatory response is triggered, which involves an increase in blood flow to the affected area. This can lead to some swelling (muscle inflammation), but this is a temporary condition designed to facilitate healing. Inflammation is a natural response, but it is not the primary characteristic of muscle fiber damage itself. - Atrophy (Muscle Shrinking):
After the muscle fibers are damaged, the fibers become smaller or “atrophied” in the short term due to the repair process. However, this is a transitory phase. If muscles are not given enough time to recover, and if the stress is repeated too frequently, the muscle fibers could potentially stay smaller and weaker. Proper nutrition, rest, and recovery practices are key to promoting muscle repair and avoiding chronic atrophy. - Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth):
Over time, with proper recovery, nutrition, and progressive overload (gradually increasing the intensity of the exercises), the muscle fibers will repair themselves, and the muscle may become larger and stronger. This is known as hypertrophy, where the fibers increase in size as a result of the body adapting to the stress of exercise.
Thus, muscle fibers typically become smaller (atrophied) in the short term when damaged through exercise, but with adequate recovery, they can grow and strengthen in the long term.