RESUMO
In this work, we report the simultaneous presence of degenerative and regenerative changes in the fibers of the rat Extensor Digitorum Longus muscle, during spontaneous reinnervation after sciatic nerve crushing. Regenerative changes were observed 18 days postcrush, at the same time electrical stimulation of the nerve could again elicit a mechanical response. Recovery of muscle weight and fiber diameter was also seen, simultaneously we could detect an irregular array of thin and thick filaments. The typical histopathological features of denervated muscle were present (strophy, lysosomal proliferation, alteration, in sarcotubular system and motor endplates), these changes disappeared spontaneously and they were minimal 2 months after crushing