New trends in ultrasound imaging are focused on exploration of morphology and muscle quality. The main goal of the study was to evaluate the first-order descriptor and echostructure of lumbar multifidus at the L4 vertebral level in athletes with and without chronic lumbopelvic pain (CLPP). A case-control study was performed in 15 semiprofessional athletes with CLPP and 15 without (healthy athletes). Lumbar multifidus echointensity and echovariation were measured for muscle quality assessment. Echostructure was used to evaluate lumbar multifidus cross-sectional area (CSA) at resting and during muscle contraction, respective differences during both phases (CSADif.), activation patterns, and thoracolumbar fasciae morphology and thickness. Significant differences with a large effect size were observed in quantitative data from CLPP and healthy athletes for left lumbar multifidus CSADif. and thoracolumbar fasciae morphology. Categorical data showed statistically significant differences with a small-to-moderate effect size for lumbar multifidus activation pattern and thoracolumbar fasciae morphology. Athletes with CLPP showed a reduced CSA difference between lumbar multifidus contraction and at resting and higher disorganization of thoracolumbar fasciae morphology compared to healthy athletes. These findings suggest the importance of dynamic exploration of the lumbar region and connective tissue in sports performance and injury prevention.

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The findings suggest that after 45 min of running, a pronated foot tends to change into a more neutral position, and decreased plantar pressures were found after the run.

Background and Objectives: Flexor hallucis longus pathology is one of the most common conditions of the ankle and foot in dancers, due to the high demand of dance movements performed in an extreme plantar flexion and dorsiflexion range of motion. The objectives of this study were to determine the bilateral differences between the thickness and cross-sectional area of the flexor hallucis longus muscle in dancers, to establish possible differences between dance modalities, and to analyze whether there is a correlation between ultrasonographic parameters or performance variables and the dance modality. Material and Methods: A sample of 50 (29 classical and 21 contemporary) full-time pre-professional female dancers were included in the study. The thickness and cross-sectional area of the flexor hallucis longus muscle were evaluated for both limbs using ultrasound imaging. The range of movement of the first metatarsophalangeal joint was measured using functional extension with maximal ankle plantarflexion, balance was measured in a unilateral stance with the heel raised, endurance was evaluated through a modified heel rise fatigue test, and a counter movement jump to assess the vertical jump performance was measured bilaterally. Results: There were no significant differences recorded between the dominant and non-dominant limbs for each variable, within both groups. Contemporary dancers showed a greater thickness and cross-sectional area of the flexor hallucis longus muscle than classical dancers. However, classical dancers showed an increase of balance, endurance, range of movement of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, and counter movement jump with respect to contemporary dancers. Conclusion: Bilateral symmetry was identified in all variables for both groups. The size and performance of the flexor hallucis longus muscle may be influenced by the specific nature of dance modality.

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