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Relationship between isometric contraction intensity and muscle hardness assessed by ultrasound strain elastography

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Abstract

Introduction

Ultrasound elastography is used to assess muscle hardness or stiffness; however, no previous studies have validated muscle hardness measures using ultrasound strain elastography (SE). This study investigated the relationship between plantar flexor isometric contraction intensity and gastrocnemius hardness assessed by SE. We hypothesised that the muscle would become harder linearly with an increase in the contraction intensity of the plantar flexors.

Methods

Fifteen young women (20.1 ± 0.8 years) performed isometric contractions of the ankle plantar flexors at four different intensities (25, 50, 75, 100% of maximal voluntary contraction force: MVC) at 0° plantar flexion. Using SE images, the strain ratio (SR) between the muscle and an acoustic coupler (elastic modulus 22.6 kPa) placed over the skin was calculated (muscle/coupler); pennation angle and muscle thickness were measured for the resting and contracting conditions.

Results

SR decreased with increasing contraction intensity from rest (1.28 ± 0.20) to 25% (0.99 ± 0.21), 50% (0.61 ± 0.15), 75% (0.34 ± 0.1) and 100% MVC (0.20 ± 0.05). SR decreased linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing MVC from rest to 75% MVC, but levelled off from 75 and 100% MVC. SR was negatively correlated with pennation angle (r = −0.80, P < 0.01) and muscle thickness ( r= −0.78,  P< 0.01).

Conclusion

SR appears to represent muscle hardness changes in response to contraction intensity changes, in the assumption that the gastrocnemius muscle contraction intensity is proportional to the plantar flexion intensity. We concluded that gastrocnemius muscle hardness changes could be validly assessed by SR, and the force–hardness relationship was not linear.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

CV:

Coefficient of variation

EVA:

Ethylene vinyl acetate

MVC:

Maximum voluntary contraction

ROI:

Region of interest

SD:

Standard deviation

SE:

Strain elastography

SR:

Strain ratio

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Mr. Naoyuki Murayama and Ms. Yoko Fujihara of Hitachi, Ltd. (Japan) for their technical assistance in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia

    Takayuki Inami, Wing Yin Lau & Kazunori Nosaka

  2. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan

    Takayuki Inami

  3. Tsujimura Surgery Hospital, Kariya, Japan

    Toru Tsujimura

  4. Graduate School of Health and Sport Sciences, Chukyo University, Nagoya, Japan

    Takuya Shimizu & Takemasa Watanabe

Authors
  1. Takayuki Inami
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  2. Toru Tsujimura
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  3. Takuya Shimizu
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  4. Takemasa Watanabe
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  5. Wing Yin Lau
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  6. Kazunori Nosaka
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Correspondence to Kazunori Nosaka.

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Communicated by Nicolas Place.

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Inami, T., Tsujimura, T., Shimizu, T. et al. Relationship between isometric contraction intensity and muscle hardness assessed by ultrasound strain elastography. Eur J Appl Physiol 117, 843–852 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3528-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3528-2

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