The effect of ultrasound probe orientation on muscle architecture measurement

Klimstra, Marc; Dowling, Jim; Durkin, Jennifer L.; MacDonald, Maureen J.

doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2006.04.011

Cited by 131 publications

(125 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The complexity of this relationship is confounded by the fact that a change in muscle thickness is a reflection of the impact of a combination of many variables, only 1 of which is muscle activity. 54 For instance, the resting state (activity and length) of a muscle, the extensibility 27 and structure (parallel versus pennate muscle-fiber orientation) of a musculotendinous unit, 4,17 the type of contraction (isometric, concentric, eccentric), the presence of external forces that a muscle must compete against (eg, fascial connections and increases in intra-abdominal pressure or contraction of adjacent muscle), 7,9 out-of-plane changes, 3 and imaging technique 30,57 may all impact the change in muscle thickness seen on USI during a contraction. This is clearly illustrated by several of the participants in the current study (subjects 8 and 17), who, during the ASLR test, demonstrated an increase in TrA EMG signal amplitude that was associated with either no change or a decrease in TrA thickness (FIGURE 3).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A further variation was in the amount of consideration given by the investigators to factors that may influence changes in muscle thickness, 54 such as the initial muscle length, the initial level of muscle activation, the extensibility 27 and structure of the musculotendinous unit, 4,17 the contraction type, the presence of external forces that an expanding muscle must compete against, 7,9 out-of-plane changes, 3 and imaging technique. 30,57 For example, some of the investigating teams collected data in supine, whereas others used upright positions. As the length and thickness of the abdominal muscles differ between supine and upright positions, due to the shift of the abdominal contents and the effect of gravity, it is likely that differences in test position influenced study outcomes.…”

Section: T T Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association Between Changes in Electromyographic Signal Amplitude and Abdominal Muscle Thickness in Individuals With and Without Lumbopelvic Pain

Whittaker¹,

McLean²,

Hodder³

et al. 2013

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther

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The muscles of the abdominal wall play a role in controlling motion of the spine, 1,20,21,24 and there is evidence of dysfunction of this musculature in persons with lumbopelvic pain (LPP). Proposed dysfunctions range from delayed onset 23 and seemingly diminished responses (smaller increase in thickness) of the transversus abdominis (TrA) 46,48 to increased electromyographic (EMG) signal amplitude and greater responses (larger increase in thickness) of the rectus abdominis (RA) and external and internal oblique (EO and IO) muscles.2,39,49 As these abnormalities have been linked to pain and dysfunction, there is interest in developing methods to accurately assess function of the abdominal musculature.Ultrasound imaging (USI) is a noninvasive and valid method to quantify abdominal muscle size 19 and is currently used in rehabilitation, in part, under the assumption that changes in muscle thickness reflect the extent of muscle contraction.42,46,50 USI has also been used for screening purposes 18 and as a source of real-time biofeedback, as it is presumed to be reflective of muscle activity during exercises commonly employed in rehabilitation programs. 15,38 Although some authors have stated that changes in muscle thickness measured with USI can be used as surrogate measures of muscle activity 11,34,42 and activation, 31,40,41,44 evidence T T STUDY DESIGN: Validation study. T T OBJECTIVES:To investigate the association between changes in electromyographic (EMG) signal amplitude and sonographic measures of muscle thickness of 4 abdominal muscles, during 2 clinical tests, in adults with and without lumbopelvic pain. T T BACKGROUND:There is a trend in rehabilitation to use ultrasound imaging (USI) to determine the extent of abdominal muscle contraction. However, the literature investigating the relationship between abdominal muscle thickness change and level of activation is inconclusive and has not included clinically relevant tasks. T T METHODS:Simultaneous recording from finewire EMG and USI was performed for 4 abdominal muscles, in 7 adults with lumbopelvic pain (mean  SD age, 29.7  12.0 years) and 7 adults without lumbopelvic pain (32.0  10.6 years), during an active straight leg raise (ASLR) test and an abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM). Cross-correlation functions and linear regression analyses were used to describe the relationship between the 2 measures. Analyses of variance were used to compare individuals with and without lumbopelvic pain, with an alpha set at .05. T T RESULTS:Across all muscles, peak crosscorrelation values were low (ASLR, r = 0.28  0.09; ADIM, r = 0.35  0.11), and there was large variability in associated time lags (ASLR, τ = 0.69  2.56 seconds; ADIM, τ = 0.53  3.75 seconds). Regression analyses did not detect a systematic pattern of association between EMG signal amplitude and USI measurements, and analyses of variance revealed no differences between cohorts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: T T Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association Between Changes in Electromyographic Signal Amplitude and Abdominal Muscle Thickness in Individuals With and Without Lumbopelvic Pain

Whittaker¹,

McLean²,

Hodder³

et al. 2013

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The intraclass correlation between these measurements was 0.8, indicating high reliability. Although the probe was securely fixed on the skin, it is not known by how much the muscle shifted in relation to the scanning plane, therefore we are unable to determine the precise magnitude of fascicle length measurement error introduced by scanning the muscle in 2-D. Data reported elsewhere (Klimstra et al, 2007) indicate that a combined probe rotation by 5° in the longitudinal direction and 5° in the sagittal-frontal direction from the original scanning plane results in an average fascicle length error of no more than 8%. However, in the present study the ultrasound probe was securely fixed around the lower leg and no observable movement of the probe in relation to the leg could occur without manual application of external force to the probe.…”

Section: Methodological Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lower-limb biomechanics during stair descent: influence of step-height and body mass

Spanjaard

Reeves

Dieën

et al. 2008

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYThe aim of the present study was to examine the biomechanics of the lower limb during stair descent and the effects of increasing demand in two ways: by increasing step-height and by increasing body mass. Ten male subjects walked down a four-step staircase, the height of which could be altered. The step-heights were: standard (17·cm), 50% decreased, 50% increased and 75% increased. At the standard height, subjects also walked down wearing a weighted jacket carrying 20% extra body mass. Lower limb kinematics and kinetics were determined using motion capture and ground reaction forces. Also measured were gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle electromyography and GM muscle fascicle length using ultrasonography. GM muscle fascicles actively shortened during the touch-down phase of stair descent in all conditions, while the muscle-tendon complex (MTC), as calculated from the knee and ankle joint kinematics, lengthened. The GM muscle fascicles shortened more when stepheight was increased, which corresponded to the increase in ankle joint moment. Increased body mass did not alter the ankle or knee joint moment in the first contact phase of a step down; due to a change in strategy, the trailing leg, instead of the leading leg, supported the extra mass. Hence, the amount of GM muscle fascicle shortening, during the touch-down phase, also did not change with added body mass. Our results suggest that the increase in joint moments is related to the amount of fascicle shortening, which occurs whilst the MTC is lengthening, thereby stretching the elastic tendinous tissues.

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“…27 Specifically, such factors include the resting state (activity and length) of the muscle, the extensibility (compliance) 30 and structure (parallel versus pennate muscle fiber orientation) 6,18 of a [ clinical commentary ] musculotendinous unit, the type of contraction taking place (isometric, concentric, eccentric), the presence of external forces that an expanding muscle must compete against (eg, increases in intraabdominal pressure 10 or contraction of adjacent muscles 13 ), out-of-plane changes, 4 and imaging technique. 38,74 Consideration of each of the abovementioned factors and their influence on changes in muscle size is critical when attempting to interpret the findings of a dynamic imaging study. For instance, when a hypothetically normal muscle undergoes a concentric contraction from a true resting state, an increase in thickness and a decrease in length are generally observed (FIGURE 3A).…”

Section: Ultrasound Imaging and Muscle Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%