Final answer:
Rehabilitation therapy is designed to prevent atrophy in skeletal muscles by using targeted exercises and, if necessary, electrical stimulation to maintain and improve muscle strength and function.
Step-by-step explanation:
Rehabilitation therapy can be used to help prevent skeletal muscles from undergoing: D. atrophy.
Physiotherapists work with patients to maintain and improve muscle condition. They help prevent muscle atrophy, which can occur due to mechanical injury, disease, or aging. Following an injury like a broken limb, or after surgery, muscles can experience disuse atrophy if not exercised, leading to long-term weakness. Stroke victims may also suffer from muscle impairment due to interrupted neural stimulation, resulting in muscle atrophy. Regular exercise, as part of rehabilitation, can restore muscle function and structure by stimulating muscle contraction and promoting the growth of structural proteins. Likewise, for those experiencing age-related muscle loss, physical therapy including exercise regimens can slow down or reduce atrophy, improving muscle function and overall quality of life. In some cases where movement is not possible, electrical stimulation can act as a substitute for neural stimulation to prevent protein loss and muscle atrophy.