A tissue velocity ultrasound imaging investigation of the dorsal neck muscles during resisted isometric extension

Abstract

Persons with neck pain exhibit altered patterns of muscle patterning, but limited investigations have been carried out on these alterations or muscle patterning in healthy volunteers. This study investigated the tissue motion of the dorsal neck muscles at the C4 segmental level in 15 healthy subjects during manually resisted head extension. Doppler-based tissue velocity ultrasound imaging (TVI) was used to detect regional tissue deformation, providing indirect evidence of inter-muscular movement patterning. The deep muscles, multifidus and semispinalis, had different muscular movement patterning than the superficial muscles, especially the trapezius muscle. The semispinalis cervicis was the first deformed upon exercise initiation, followed by multifidus and semispinalis capitis. The semispinalis muscles, notably capitis, exhibited a high rate of deformation during the exercise. The trapezius muscle exhibited the least deformation and the lowest deformation rate. In conclusion, TVI provided detailed information on regional tissue activity and muscle movement patterning among the dorsal neck muscles. In future studies, data from patients with neck disorders will have to be matched to data from healthy volunteers in a variety of situations and activities.

Shear wave elastography reveals different degrees of passive and active stiffness of the neck extensor muscles

“…Ultrasound imaging enables non-invasive measurements of all five layers of the neck extensor muscles (Peolsson et al 2010;Rezasoltani et al 2013;Lee et al 2009). However, conventional ultrasound imaging (B-mode, M-mode and Doppler) reveal shape, thickness, deformation, strain and motion of muscles, not their stiffness.…”

Differences in Cervical Multifidus Muscle Thickness During Isometric Contraction of Shoulder Muscles: A Comparison Between Patients With Chronic Neck Pain and Healthy Controls

“…[18][19][20] Among these, ultrasound imaging is recognized as a reliable and valid method of muscle function evaluation in real time. 9,[21][22][23] In recent research studies, the interest in ultrasonography measurement of muscle dimensions has greatly increased. For instance, some studies reported dimensions of the CMM at rest or during an isometric head extension as an index for muscle activity using ultrasound.…”

Ultrasonographic Assessment of Neck Muscular Size and Range of Motion in Rugby Players

“…Ultrasound imaging could also be particularly useful to capture functional movements in real time 43 or verify the state and evolution of external muscle volume after a traumatic injury before the return of the player to the field. Since previous studies on the size of the muscles do not currently exist, the data presented in this paper can serve as a starting point for future research that may result in a consensus between the international federation and rugby leagues, once correlation to injury is established, by defining a minimum muscle size below which the player cannot get his "front row passport".…”