The clinical treatment of joint contracture due to immobilization remains difficult.The pathological changes of muscle tissue caused by immobilization-induced joint contracture include disuse skeletal muscle atrophy and skeletal muscle tissue fibrosis.The proteolytic pathways involved in disuse muscle atrophy include the ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent pathway,caspase system pathway,matrix metalloproteinase pathway,Ca2+-dependent pathway and autophagy-lysosomal pathway.The important biological processes involved in skeletal muscle fibrosis include intermuscular connective tissue thickening caused by transforming growth factor-β1 and an anaerobic environment within the skeletal muscle leading to the induction of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α.This article reviews the progress made in understanding the pathological processes involved in immobilization-induced muscle contracture and the currently available treatments.Understanding the mechanisms involved in immobilization-induced contracture of muscle tissue should facilitate the development of more effective treatment measures for the different mechanisms in the future.