Implementing Ultrasound Imaging for the Assessment of Muscle and Tendon Properties in Elite Sports: Practical Aspects, Methodological Considerations and Future Directions

Abstract

Ultrasound (US) imaging has been widely used in both research and clinical settings to evaluate the morphological and mechanical properties of muscle and tendon. In elite sports scenarios, a regular assessment of such properties has great potential, namely for testing the response to training, detecting athletes at higher risks of injury, screening athletes for structural abnormalities related to current or future musculoskeletal complaints, and monitoring their return to sport after a musculoskeletal injury. However, several practical and methodological aspects of US techniques should be considered when applying this technology in the elite sports context. Therefore, this narrative review aims to (1) present the principal US measures and field of applications in the context of elite sports; (2) to discuss, from a methodological perspective, the strengths and shortcomings of US imaging for the assessment of muscle and tendon properties; and (3) to provide future directions for research and application.

Effects of range of motion on resistance training adaptations: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…It is worth noting that, except for Goto et al 58 (muscle size measured at a single point of the muscle length), the rest of the investigations used as an indicator of muscle hypertrophy either the muscle volume 54,66 or CSA measurements acquired at different lengths of the target muscle (eg, proximal‐medial‐distal) 54,56,64 . Although the assessment of the muscle volume via MRI would be the gold‐standard technique, 80 measuring the CSA at different points would allow researchers to identify regional changes which would be dependent on the exercise trained (eg, leg press and knee extension would maximize hypertrophy in the middle 81 and distal sites 39 of the muscle, respectively). Therefore, the results found by the current study regarding the superior effectiveness of the full ROM in generating muscle hypertrophy would be reinforced once the evaluation techniques used by the individual studies have been considered.…”

Surface wave elastography is a reliable method to correlate muscle elasticity, torque, and electromyography activity level

“…In this regard, recent works using SSI have begun to consider the muscle shear elasticity as an informative parameter for such a purpose (Bouillard, Hug, et al, 2012; Bouillard, Nordez, et al, 2011). Concerning its practical applications, the NU‐SWE could be a low‐cost and reliable tool to monitor the rehabilitation process after a muscle injury, as well as to assess the muscle mechanical properties in athletes as a consequence of a training plan (Creze et al, 2018; Sarto et al, 2021).…”

Reliability of ultrasonographic measurement of muscle architecture of the gastrocnemius medialis and gastrocnemius lateralis

“…These transducer field of view dimensions are often too narrow to simultaneously view both a fascicle’s origin on one aponeurosis and its insertion on the other. Specialised long transducers (10 cm) can be employed; however, these transducers are more costly and increase susceptibility to uneven probe pressure spread across the underlying tissues that can cause deformation [ 39 , 40 ]. More advanced extended-field-of-view techniques, where entire fascicles are imaged by moving the probe with a continuous scan, increase the risk of technical error during digital reconstruction of the image [ 41 ].…”