PREMUS 2025: 12th International Scientific Conference on the Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
Determinations of human muscle mass from F. W. Theile 1884 to the present for the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal diseases
Text
Introduction: Determinations of human muscle mass demonstrate the background to the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in employees exposed to increased physical stress. In German-speaking countries, F. W. Theile was the first scientist since ancient times to present muscle mass measurements from human autopsies. Today, a wide range of methods is available. What benefits can we derive from this for occupational medicine?
Methods: Narrative review of the determination of muscle mass in the past and future.
Results: The material by THEILE, published by HIS in Acta Leopoldina in 1884 [1], provided the first data on muscle mass and its sub-masses in real humans.
It was used in the classification of occupational physiological continuous performance limits for dynamic work by Frauendorf in Berlin [2], [3]. Today, a variety of direct (e.g., MRI) and indirect (e.g., impedance measurements on body scales) methods are available. Muscle mass is increasingly of interest in the detection of sarcopenia [4].
Discussion and Conclusion: The determination of muscle mass is not only of historical importance for occupational medicine/physiology. The prevention of sarcopenia in an aging society provides new inspiration for muscle mass measurements in occupational health prevention for older workers.
References
[1] Theile FW. Gewichtsbestimmungen zur Entwicklung des Muskelsystems und des Skeletts beim Menschen. Nova acta dtsch. Akad. Naturforscher. 1884.[2] Frauendorf H, Kobryn U. Empfehlung zur Bewertung vorwiegend dynamischer Arbeit mit Einsatz unterschiedlicher Muskelmassen an Hand der physischen Dauerleistungsgrenze [Recommendations for the evaluation of dynamic work involving various muscle masses using the physical endurance limit]. Z Gesamte Hyg. 1983 Dec;29(12):726-7.
[3] Frauendorf H, Kobryn U, Gelbrich W. Blutdruck- und Herzschlagfrequenzverhalten bei fünf verschiedenen Formen dynamischer Muskelarbeit. Z Arbeitswiss. 1990;44: 214-6.
[4] Huang AC, Lu HK, Liang CW, Hsieh KC, Tsai YS, Lai CL. Comparison study of bioelectrical impedance analyzers for measuring lower limb muscle mass in middle-aged and elderly adults. Front Nutr. 2025 Feb 7;12:1546499. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1546499
