The Study
Effect of Creatine Supplementation During Cast-Induced Immobilization on the Preservation of Muscle Mass, Strength, and Endurance
This study gave 7 young men creatine or a sugar pill during a week when their arm was stuck in a cast, then saw which one lost less muscle. Because they switched between the two, it's a good test—but only for these 7 guys. We can't say it works for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
When your arm is stuck in a cast and you can't move it, your muscles get weaker and smaller. This study tested if taking creatine (a common sports supplement) helps stop that from happening.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 557 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — losing 40% of your arm endurance in a week is huge; creatine cut that loss by more than half, which could help people recover faster after injury.
- 2With creatine: arm muscle mass went up 0.9%, strength dropped only 4%, and endurance dropped 10%.
- 3With placebo: muscle mass dropped 4%, strength dropped 22%, and endurance dropped 43%.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2009
Authors
A. Johnston, D. Burke, L. MacNeil, D. Candow
Related Content
Claims (6)
Creatine supplementation reduces the loss of muscle mass during hormonal shifts.
In young healthy men aged 18–25, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for one week while the arm is immobilized results in a 17.4 percentage point smaller loss of elbow flexor strength compared to taking a placebo.
In young healthy men aged 18–25, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for one week while the arm is immobilized results in a 28.5 percentage point smaller reduction in elbow extensor endurance compared to taking a placebo.
In young healthy men aged 18–25, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for one week during arm immobilization reduces the loss of muscle mass by about 4.6 percentage points compared to taking a placebo.
In young healthy men aged 18–25, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for one week during arm immobilization reduces the loss of elbow flexor endurance by 33.4 percentage points compared to taking a placebo.
In young healthy men aged 18–25, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for one week while the arm is immobilized results in a 14.2 percentage point smaller loss of elbow extensor strength compared to taking a placebo.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.