Use it or lose it

A 2015 study from the University of Copenhagen showed that wearing an immobilising knee brace for just two weeks caused men in their twenties to lose 22 to 34 per cent of their leg muscle strength, while men in their sixties lost 20 to 26 per cent.

It took them six weeks of exercising 3-4 times a week on a bicycle to restore the leg muscle size and ability to exercise. Even that did not fully restore the leg muscle strength.

This study demonstrates some significant points:

• When muscles of young men are immobilised for two weeks,