Relationship between Knee Extension Strength and the Quadriceps Femoris Muscle Thickness Measured by Ultrasound

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the relationship between the muscle thickness of the quadriceps measured by an ultrasound imaging system and physical function. [Subjects] The subjects were 98 community-dwelling older women aged over 60: average age, 72.7. [Methods] The muscle thickness of the quadriceps femoris at 10 cm above the upper border of the patella was evaluated by an ultrasound imaging system, and physical fitness which included knee extension strength was evaluated. [Results] There were significant correlations between muscle thickness and knee extension strength (r= .333, p< .001), hand-grip strength (r= .255, p< .05), and one-legged standing time (r= .278, p< .001). [Conclusion] The muscle thickness was correlated with physical fitness. However, multiple linear regression analysis indicated that muscle thickness did not predict the strength of knee extension precisely enough.

Frailty and Loss of Rectus Femoris Muscle Thickness in Hospitalized Elderly Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia – A Case-Control Study

“…The vertical thickness of the RF muscle was measured on the inner edge of the muscle (Figure 1). Loss of muscle mass ≤10 mm of the RF thickness was considered to be thin muscle, based upon previous reports that demonstrated the 10 mm cutoff as 2SD below the mean of thickness of the RF in the same age bracket [22].…”