［Objective］To study the effects of active, passive and active plus passive exercise therapy on the recovery of rabbit tibial plateau fracture after internal fixation. To observe the effects of different exercise methods on preventing and treating gastrocnemius muscle disuse atrophy after internal fixation of rabbit tibial plateau fracture, and to detect the expression of IGF-1 and GDF-8 in gastrocnemius muscle of each group.［Methods］Thirty-two purebred male New Zealand rabbits (8 in each group) aged 6 months were used to make models of internal fixation of screw after splitting fracture of medial tibial plateau. After successful modeling, they were randomly divided into passive exercise group (passive joint flexion and extension group, CPM group), active exercise group (treadmill exercise group, TRE group), passive exercise + active exercise group (treadmill exercise group + passive joint flexion and extension group, CPM + TRE group). In the control group (intracage sedentary group, non-intervention group, SED group), after 4 weeks, the left and right gastrocnemius muscle of rabbits were weighed and calculated. The left and right gastrocnemius muscle was stained with HE, and the left and right cross-sectional area difference was calculated. The expression of IGF-1 and GDF-8 protein in gastrocnemius muscle was detected. [Result] CPM+TRE group was compared with other groups, the difference of wet weight ratio between left and right gastrocnemius muscle was the smallest, the difference of cross-sectional area of gastrocnemius muscle cells was the smallest, the content of IGF-1 and protein in gastrocnemius muscle was higher than that in other groups, and the content of GDF-8 was lower than that in other groups, with significant difference (P < 0.05). [Conclusion] Passive exercise plus active exercise can prevent and treat gastrocnemius muscle disuse atrophy after internal fixation of tibial plateau fracture in rabbits. The mechanism may be that passive exercise plus active exercise therapy promotes the expression of IGF-1 in gastrocnemius muscle, reduces the expression of GDF-8 in gastrocnemius muscle, and prevents gastrocnemius muscle disuse atrophy in rabbits.