Age‐related changes in muscle elasticity and thickness of the lower extremities are associated with physical functions among community‐dwelling older women

Abstract

Aim To clarify the age‐related changes in muscle elasticity or thickness of the lower extremities in older women, and to analyze their relationship with physical functions. Methods The muscle elasticity and thickness of the rectus femoris and medial head of the gastrocnemius of 102 young women (young group) and 221 elderly women (elderly group) were measured using ultrasonography. In the elderly group, physical functions, including knee extension strength, Timed Up and Go test, single‐leg standing, maximum gait speed and Four Square Step Test were also measured. Results The elasticity of the rectus femoris and medial head of the gastrocnemius were significantly higher, but the muscle thickness of both muscles was significantly lower in the elderly group than in the young group (both P < 0.001). In the elderly group, the elasticity of the rectus femoris was significantly correlated with Timed Up and Go test, maximum gait speed and Four Square Step Test (ρ = 0.481, r = −0.387 and ρ = 0.401, respectively, all P < 0.001), and the medial head of the gastrocnemius was similar (ρ = 0.471, r = −0.489 and ρ = 0.422, respectively, all P < 0.001). The muscle thickness of the rectus femoris was significantly associated with knee extension strength (r = 0.444, P < 0.001). Conclusions Older women showed age‐related changes in high elasticity and atrophy of the rectus femoris and medial head of the gastrocnemius. The high elasticity of both muscles, not muscle thickness, was associated with dynamic balance and walking ability. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 61–65.

Application of ultrasound for muscle assessment in sarcopenia: 2020 SARCUS update

“…Medial gastrocnemius muscle was evaluated at 30% (proximal or distal was not described) between popliteal crease and the medial malleolus, in a standing position, for fascicle length [70]; at 30% (proximal or distal was not described) between the lateral condyle of the tibia and the lateral malleolus, in a supine position, for muscle thickness [71]; at proximal 30% between the popliteal fossa and the posterior calcaneus, in a prone position, for muscle thickness and echo-intensity [38]; at proximal 30% between the head of the fibula and tip of the medial malleolus, in a sitting position, for muscle thickness [72].…”

Ultrasound Elastography in Musculoskeletal Radiology: Past, Present, and Future

“…[35][36][37] There is no consensus in the literature on the effect of age on muscle stiffness, with some authors reporting increasing and others decreasing muscle stiffness. [38][39][40] A few important factors may be debated regarding this disagreement. First, the difference in the evaluation protocol resulted in varied USE values based on the type of functional muscle assessment.…”

Sonoelastography to Assess Muscular Stiffness Among Older Adults and its Use for the Diagnosis of Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review

“…Elastography was performed on different striated muscles both in the upper limb (i. e., biceps brachii [24] and supraspinatus [23]) and the lower limb (i. e., vastus lateralis [22], vastus intermedius [22,25,26], vastus medialis [22], rectus femoris [22,27,28], medial [20,28,29] and lateral gastrocnemius [20,27,29], soleus [27], and the hamstrings [22]). One study evaluated postural muscles: trapezius and erector spinae [30].…”

“…All studies used shear wave elastography to evaluate muscle stiffness, except from Saito et al, 2018 [28], who used strain elastography performed with an acoustic coupler. The strain ratio (strain of the muscle to that of the acoustic coupler) was significantly higher in the older adults than in the young adults (Rectus Femoris in young adults: 0.31 ± 0.08 vs. older adults: 0.53 ± 0.17, P ˂ 0.001; Medial Gastrocnemius in young adults: 0.28 ± 0.07 vs. older adults: 0.45 ± 0.14, P˂0.001), signifying harder tissue.…”