The Effects of Isometric Fatigue on Trunk Muscle Stiffness: Implications for Shear-Wave Elastography Measurements

Vatovec, Rok; Kozinc, Žiga; Voglar, Matej

doi:10.3390/s22239476

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…SWV was measured every 10 repetitions and showed a significant decrease after the first 10 repetitions followed by further depression, reaching a minimum after 50 repetitions ( Siracusa et al, 2019 ). In accordance with Siracusa et al’s findings, an isometric trunk extension fatigue protocol depressed the apparent shear modulus of the deep multifidus muscles ( Vatovec et al, 2022 ). Similarly, low-intensity, high-duration loading as generated during a long-distance race elicited a depression in SWV that persisted for at least 72 h ( Andonian et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Three-dimensional mapping of ultrasound-derived skeletal muscle shear wave velocity

Götschi,

Snedeker,

Fitze

et al. 2023

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Introduction: The mechanical properties of skeletal muscle are indicative of its capacity to perform physical work, state of disease, or risk of injury. Ultrasound shear wave elastography conducts a quantitative analysis of a tissue’s shear stiffness, but current implementations only provide two-dimensional measurements with limited spatial extent. We propose and assess a framework to overcome this inherent limitation by acquiring numerous and contiguous measurements while tracking the probe position to create a volumetric scan of the muscle. This volume reconstruction is then mapped into a parameterized representation in reference to geometric and anatomical properties of the muscle. Such an approach allows to quantify regional differences in muscle stiffness to be identified across the entire muscle volume assessed, which could be linked to functional implications.Methods: We performed shear wave elastography measurements on the vastus lateralis (VL) and the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) muscle of 16 healthy volunteers. We assessed test-retest reliability, explored the potential of the proposed framework in aggregating measurements of multiple subjects, and studied the acute effects of muscular contraction on the regional shear wave velocity post-measured at rest.Results: The proposed approach yielded moderate to good reliability (ICC between 0.578 and 0.801). Aggregation of multiple subject measurements revealed considerable but consistent regional variations in shear wave velocity. As a result of muscle contraction, the shear wave velocity was elevated in various regions of the muscle; showing pre-to-post regional differences for the radial assessement of VL and longitudinally for BFlh. Post-contraction shear wave velocity was associated with maximum eccentric hamstring strength produced during six Nordic hamstring exercise repetitions.Discussion and Conclusion: The presented approach provides reliable, spatially resolved representations of skeletal muscle shear wave velocity and is capable of detecting changes in three-dimensional shear wave velocity patterns, such as those induced by muscle contraction. The observed systematic inter-subject variations in shear wave velocity throughout skeletal muscle additionally underline the necessity of accurate spatial referencing of measurements. Short high-effort exercise bouts increase muscle shear wave velocity. Further studies should investigate the potential of shear wave elastography in predicting the muscle’s capacity to perform work.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%