Assessment of the Effects of Swimming as a Postoperative Rehabilitation on Nerve Regeneration of Wistar Rats Submitted to Grafting of Autologous Nerves after Injury to the Sciatic Nerve

Objective To evaluate the effects of swimming on nerve regeneration after sciatic nerve injury in Wistar rats. Methods A total of 30 Wistar rats was divided into 3 groups: Sham + Nat group animals that were not submitted to graft surgery and were submitted to swimming ( n = 10); Graft group: animals submitted to autologous sciatic nerve graft ( n = 10); and Graft + Nat group: animals submitted to autologous sciatic nerve graft surgery and to swimming ( n = 10). The results were analyzed on the software (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA). Results In the first evaluation, all sciatic functional index (SFI) values were similar ( p = 0.609). Thirty days after the surgical procedure, we observed differences between all the comparisons: Sham + Nat (−34.64 ± 13.89) versus Graft (−145.9 ± 26.06); Sham + Nat versus Graft + Nat (−89.40 ± 7.501); Graft (−145.9 ± 26.06) versus Graft + Nat (−89.40 ± 7.501). In the measurements (60 and 90 days), there was no statistical difference between the Graft and Graft + Nat groups, with significantly lower values in relation to the control group ( p < 0.001). The number of motor neurons presented differences in the comparisons between the Sham + Nat and Graft groups (647.1 ± 16.42 versus 563.4 ± 8.07; p < 0.05), and between the Sham + Nat and Graft + Nat groups (647.1 ± 16.42 versus 558.8 ± 14.79; p < 0.05). There was no difference between the Graft and Graft + Nat groups. Conclusion Animals submitted to the swimming protocol after the sciatic nerve grafting procedure did not present differences in the SFI values and motor neuron numbers when compared to the control group. Therefore, this type of protocol is not efficient for the rehabilitation of peripheral nerve lesions that require grafting. Therefore, further studies are needed.