Mechanical asymmetries in gastrocnemius stiffness: shear-wave elastography insights into the biomechanics and injury susceptibility of calf muscle strain injuries.

IF 2.8 3区 医学 Q1 REHABILITATION
Yanhui Du, Zhe Pan, Yang Zhang, Fengxue Xuan, Haitao Yu, Bo Wang, Gaofeng Li, Guangchun Li, Weijing Zhang, Fei Chang
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: "Tennis leg" injuries originate predominantly at the medial gastrocnemius (MG) musculotendinous junction (MTJ). Whether posture-dependent mechanical asymmetries between the MG and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) explain this susceptibility remains unclear. To quantify posture-specific stiffness of gastrocnemius muscle and MTJ with shear-wave elastography (SWE) and to identify mechanical signatures that may predispose the MG to strain.

Methods: Ultrasound data were obtained from 22 calves, resulting in 44 samples, across three ankle positions: neutral, 15° plantarflexion, and 15° dorsiflexion, with the knee in an extended position. Young's modulus was sampled at the muscle belly, the MTJ, and proximal 1 cm and distal 1 cm on both side; each value represented the mean of three trials. Independent t-tests were employed to assess side-to-side differences, while one-way ANOVA (Bonferroni-adjusted, α = 0.05) was utilized to evaluate posture effects.

Results: Across neutral postures, the MG was stiffer than the LG at the muscle belly (P < 0.05), MTJ (P < 0.001), and at the distal 1 cm of MTJ. Dorsiflexion induced the highest stiffness values on both sides, with the MG demonstrating significantly greater stiffness than the LG (P < 0.05). Notably, despite its higher baseline stiffness, the MG showed a smaller contraction-induced percentage increase in stiffness compared to the LG at the MTJ in both plantarflexion (P < 0.05) and dorsiflexion (P < 0.05), indicating a high-stiffness/low-compliance (HNC) profile.

Conclusion: Dorsiflexion markedly increases the stiffness of the MG while decreasing its proportion to enhance stiffness during contraction. This HNC behavior emphasizes stress at the in tennis-leg ruptures. SWE-derived HNC measurements may assist in identifying at-risk athletes and customizing preventive measures.

Trial registration: Clinical trial number: not applicable.

腓肠肌僵硬的力学不对称:小腿肌肉拉伤的生物力学和损伤易感性的剪切波弹性学见解。
背景:“网球腿”损伤主要起源于内侧腓肠肌(MG)肌腱肌连接处(MTJ)。MG和外侧腓肠肌(LG)之间的姿势依赖的机械不对称是否解释了这种易感性尚不清楚。用剪切波弹性成像(SWE)量化腓肠肌和MTJ的姿势特异性刚度,并识别可能导致MG应变的机械特征。方法:从22个小腿获得超声数据,产生44个样本,在三种踝关节位置:中性,15°跖屈和15°背屈,膝关节处于伸直位置。在肌腹、MTJ、两侧近端1cm和远端1cm处取样杨氏模量;每个值代表三次试验的平均值。采用独立t检验评估两侧差异,采用单因素方差分析(Bonferroni-adjusted, α = 0.05)评估姿势影响。结果:在不同的中性体位中,肌腹处的MG比LG更硬(P)。结论:背屈可显著增加MG的刚度,同时减少其在收缩过程中所占的比例以增强其刚度。这种HNC行为强调了网球腿骨折处的应力。swe衍生的HNC测量可以帮助识别高危运动员和定制预防措施。试验注册:临床试验编号:不适用。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation
BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine-Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
CiteScore
3.00
自引率
5.30%
发文量
196
审稿时长
26 weeks
期刊介绍: BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation is an open access, peer reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of sports medicine and the exercise sciences, including rehabilitation, traumatology, cardiology, physiology, and nutrition.
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