Assessment of the mechanical properties of the muscle-tendon unit by supersonic shear wave imaging elastography: a review

Abstract

This review aimed to describe the state of the art in muscle-tendon unit (MTU) assessment by supersonic shear wave imaging (SSI) elastography in states of muscle contraction and stretching, during aging, and in response to injury and therapeutic interventions. A consensus exists that MTU elasticity increases during passive stretching or contraction, and decreases after static stretching, electrostimulation, massage, and dry needling. There is currently no agreement regarding changes in the MTU due to aging and injury. Currently, the application of SSI for the purpose of diagnosis, rehabilitation, and physical training remains limited by a number of issues, including the lack of normative value ranges, the lack of consensus regarding the appropriate terminology, and an inadequate understanding of the main technical limitations of this novel technology.

Tensiomyography Derived Parameters Reflect Skeletal Muscle Architectural Adaptations Following 6-Weeks of Lower Body Resistance Training

“…Physiological development of muscle tissue can be characterized by measures of muscle architecture and more recently by changes in muscle belly stiffness using elastography (Gennisson et al, 2010;Debernard et al, 2011;Eby et al, 2015;Lima et al, 2017). Debernard et al (2011) observed across different ages groups that increases in fascicle angle were associated with increases in shear wave velocity (from which shear modulus was calculated) as a measure of muscle stiffness, or passive tension.…”

Reliability and quantification of gastrocnemius elasticity at relaxing and at submaximal contracted condition

“…Strain elastography (SE) was the first developed and widely used technique which compared two separate areas in the same elastogram. The main limitations of SE are the problem of reproducibility caused from the control of the stress applied which remains operator-dependent, and the absence of a specific quantification [32].…”

“…ARFI measurements could be more reliable because tissue displacement is caused by fixed ultrasound waves, rather than by tissue compression by the sonographer. But the region of interest (ROI) in ARFI imaging is very small when compared to SSI [32,33]. Although the ARFI technique was known to have less operator dependency, compression from the transducer could affect SWV in the ARFI imaging.…”

Supersonic Shear Imaging Elastography in Skeletal Muscles: Relationship Between In Vivo and Synthetic Fiber Angles and Shear Modulus

“…Technical information is necessary as a guideline for an elastography user. The standardization of some parameters such as probe position is important to avoid acquisition error . Elastographic measurements of skeletal muscles must be taken with care and attention because shear modulus is sensitive to the probe position and can be influenced by the effect of anisotropy …”