Conventional wisdom says to medical professionals: control inflammation to promote muscle healing. A new study from the Cleveland Clinic questions this convention. Lan Zhou, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic found that inflammatory cells (macrophages) in acute muscle injury produce a high level of an insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) which increases the rate of muscle regeneration. Here is the abstract and here is a description of the study from Science Daily.

Bottom-line: “For wounds to heal we need controlled inflammation, not too much, and not too little.” That’s the advice of Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal where the article was published.