Ultrasonographic assessment of the quadriceps muscle and femoral cartilage in transtibial amputees using different prostheses

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 484-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Şule Şahin Onat ◽  
Fevziye Ünsal Malas ◽  
Gökhan Tuna Öztürk ◽  
Nuray Akkaya ◽  
Murat Kara ◽  
...  

Background: In patients with lower limb amputations, gait alteration, increased loading on the intact extremity, and use of prosthesis may lead to joint degeneration. Objective: To explore the effects of prosthesis type on quadriceps muscle and distal femoral cartilage thicknesses in transtibial amputees. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: A total of 38 below-knee amputees were enrolled in the study, of which 13 patients were using vacuum system type prosthesis and 25 patients were using silicon liner pin system prosthesis. Patients’ femoral cartilage and quadriceps muscle thickness measurements were performed using musculoskeletal ultrasound. Results: When compared with the intact sides, cartilage and rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, and vastus medialis muscle thickness values were significantly decreased on the amputee sides (all p < 0.05). Clinical characteristics and ultrasound measurements were similar between the two groups except the lateral and medial femoral condyle thicknesses, thinner in the silicon liner pin system users (both p < 0.05). Conclusion: The distal femoral cartilage and quadriceps muscle thicknesses were found to be decreased on the amputated sides, and the negative impact on the cartilage seemed to be worse in the silicon liner pin system users. Clinical relevance This study might provide another argument as regards the preference of vacuum system type prosthesis to prevent possible knee osteoarthritis due to cartilage thinning in adult transtibial amputees.

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3597
Author(s):  
Sharmela Sahathevan ◽  
Ban-Hock Khor ◽  
Birinder Kaur Sadu Singh ◽  
Alice Sabatino ◽  
Enrico Fiaccadori ◽  
...  

This study aimed to assess muscle wasting and risk of protein energy wasting (PEW) in hemodialysis (HD) patients using an ultrasound (US) imaging method. PEW was identified using the ISRNM criteria in 351 HD patients. Quadriceps muscle thickness of rectus femoris (RF) and vastus intermedius (VI) muscles and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the RF muscle (RFCSA) were measured using US and compared with other physical measures. Associations of US indices with PEW were determined by logistic regression. Irrespective of gender, PEW vs. non-PEW patients had smaller RF, VI muscles, and RFCSA (all p < 0.001). US muscle sites (all p < 0.001) discriminated PEW from non-PEW patients, but the RFCSA compared to bio-impedance spectroscopy had a greater area under the curve (AUC, 0.686 vs. 0.581), sensitivity (72.8% vs. 65.8%), and specificity (55.6% vs. 53.9%). AUC of the RFCSA was greatest for PEW risk in men (0.74, 95% CI: 0.66–0.82) and women (0.80, 95% CI: 0.70–0.90) (both p < 0.001). Gender-specific RFCSA values (men < 6.00 cm2; women < 4.47 cm2) indicated HD patients with smaller RFCSA were 8 times more likely to have PEW (AOR = 8.63, 95% CI: 4.80–15.50, p < 0.001). The US approach enabled discrimination of muscle wasting in HD patients with PEW. The RFCSA was identified as the best US site with gender-specific RFCSA values to associate with PEW risk, suggesting potential diagnostic criteria for muscle wasting.


Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Hernández-Socorro ◽  
Pedro Saavedra ◽  
Juan López-Fernández ◽  
Sergio Ruiz-Santana

There is currently no standardized procedure to assess sarcopenia in long-stay catabolic patients. Our aim is to analyze a novel ultrasound muscle assessment protocol in these patients versus healthy controls, by carrying out a prospective observational study. We designed a new ultrasound protocol that assesses quadriceps rectus femoris (QRF) muscle quality in real-time B-mode, color-Doppler, and M-mode ultrasound, and evaluates QRF intramuscular central tendon thickness, cross-sectional area, and muscle thickness in ultrasound B-mode. Logistic regression was performed as a multivariable analysis on 29 cases and 19 controls. The QRF muscle area and thickness were shown to significantly decrease (p ≤ 0.001), and the central tendon thickness significantly increased (p = 0.047) in cases versus controls. The QRF muscle echogenicity and angiogenic activity fasciculations, subcutaneous edema, and intramuscular fluid were also significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.001). The selected variables in the multivariate logit analysis were the muscle area (OR per cm2 = 0.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.012–0.41) and the central tendon thickness (OR per mm 1.887; 95% CI = 2.66–13.38).


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (13) ◽  
pp. 929-935
Author(s):  
Denis César Leite Vieira ◽  
Marco Aurélio Araujo Dourado ◽  
Lucas Ugliara ◽  
Joao Luiz Quagliotti Durigan ◽  
Brad J. Schoenfeld ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study investigated the acute effects of seated and supine knee extension exercise on muscle swelling, torque, and work output. Twelve resistance-trained men performed two isokinetic concentric-only knee-extension training protocols at different hip positions in a counter-balanced order. They completed the knee extension exercise in the seated (hip angle at 85°) and supine (hip angle at 180°) positions. The torque and work output were assessed during each set. Moreover, muscle thickness of the middle and proximal vastus lateralis and rectus femoris were evaluated before and after each protocol and used as an indicator of muscle swelling. Middle rectus femoris and proximal vastus lateralis thickness increased significantly (p=0.01) with no difference between exercise variations. However, the middle vastus lateralis thickness increased (p=0.01) only after the seated knee extension exercise (~7%). Knee extensors’ peak torque and work output were approximately 8% higher (p=0.04) in the seated when compared to the supine hip position. There was a similar decrease in torque and work output throughout both protocols (p=0.98). In conclusion, seated knee extension exercises produced greater torque, work output, and muscle swelling in the vastus lateralis when compared to the supine knee extension exercise.


Author(s):  
Isabel Martín-Fuentes ◽  
José M. Oliva-Lozano ◽  
José M. Muyor

The aim of this study was to analyze the literature on muscle activation measured by surface electromyography (sEMG) of the muscles recruited when performing the leg press exercise and its variants. The Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to report this review. The search was carried out using the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases. The articles selected met the following inclusion criteria: (a) a cross-sectional or longitudinal study design; (b) neuromuscular activation assessed during the leg press exercise, or its variants; (c) muscle activation data collected using sEMG; and (d) study samples comprising healthy and trained participants. The main findings indicate that the leg press exercise elicited the greatest sEMG activity from the quadriceps muscle complex, which was shown to be greater as the knee flexion angle increased. In conclusion, (1) the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis elicited the greatest muscle activation during the leg press exercise, followed closely by the rectus femoris; (2) the biceps femoris and the gastrocnemius medialis showed greater muscular activity as the knee reached full extension, whereas the vastus lateralis and medialis, the rectus femoris, and the tibialis anterior showed a decreasing muscular activity pattern as the knee reached full extension; (3) evidence on the influence of kinematics modifications over sEMG during leg press variants is still not compelling as very few studies match their findings.


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 490
Author(s):  
Lucia Cosenza ◽  
Alessandro Picelli ◽  
Danila Azzolina ◽  
Marco Alessandro Minetto ◽  
Marco Invernizzi ◽  
...  

In stroke survivors, rectus femoris (RF) spasticity is often implicated in gait pattern alterations such as stiff knee gait (SKG). Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) is considered the gold standard for focal spasticity treatment. However—even if the accuracy of injection is crucial for BoNT-A efficacy—instrumented guidance for BoNT-A injection is not routinely applied in clinical settings. In order to investigate the possible implications of an inadequate BoNT-A injection on patients’ clinical outcome, we evaluated the ultrasound-derived RF characteristics (muscle depth, muscle thickness, cross-sectional area and mean echo intensity) in 47 stroke survivors. In our sample, we observed wide variability of RF depth in both hemiparetic and unaffected side of included patients (0.44 and 3.54 cm and between 0.25 and 3.16 cm, respectively). Moreover, our analysis did not show significant differences between treated and non-treated RF in stroke survivors. These results suggest that considering the inter-individual variability in RF muscle depth and thickness, injection guidance should be considered for BoNT-A treatment in order to optimize the clinical outcome of treated patients. In particular, ultrasound guidance may help the clinicians in the long-term follow-up of muscle quality.


2008 ◽  
Vol 104 (5) ◽  
pp. 1320-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taija Finni ◽  
Marko Havu ◽  
Shantanu Sinha ◽  
Jussi-Pekka Usenius ◽  
Sulin Cheng

We examined the relationships between morphology and muscle-tendon dynamics of the quadriceps femoris muscle of 11 men using velocity-encoded phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Thigh muscle electromyography and joint range of motion were first measured outside the MRI scanner during knee extension-flexion tasks that were performed at a rate of 40 times/min with elastic bands providing peak resistance of 5.2 kp (SD 0.4) to the extension. The same movement was repeated inside the MRI scanner bore where tissue velocities and muscle morphology were recorded. The average displacement in the proximal and distal halves of the rectus femoris and vastus intermedius aponeuroses was different ( P = 0.049), reflecting shortening (1.6%), but the tensile strain along the length of the aponeuroses was uniform. The aponeurosis behavior varied among individuals, and these individual patterns were best explained by the differences in relative cross-sectional area of rectus femoris to vastus muscles ( r = 0.71, P = 0.014). During dynamic contraction, considerable deformation of muscles in the axial plane caused an anatomic measure such as muscle thickness to change differently (decrease or increase) in different sites of measurement. For example, when analyzed from the axial images, the vastus lateralis thickness did not change ( P = 0.946) in the frontal plane through femur but increased in a 45° oblique plane between the frontal and sagittal planes ( P = 0.004). The present observations of the heterogeneity and individual behavior emphasize the fact that single-point measurements do not always reflect the overall behavior of muscle-tendon unit.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald T. Mangine ◽  
Michael J. Redd ◽  
Adam M. Gonzalez ◽  
Jeremy R. Townsend ◽  
Adam J Wells ◽  
...  

AbstractResistance training may differentially affect morphological adaptations along the length of uni-articular and bi-articular muscles. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in muscle morphology along the length of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) in response to resistance training. Following a 2-wk preparatory phase, 15 resistance-trained men (24.0 ± 3.0 y, 90.0 ± 13.8 kg, 174.9 ± 20.7 cm) completed pre-training (PRE) assessments of muscle thickness (MT), pennation angle (PA), cross-sectional area (CSA), and echo-intensity in the RF and VL at 30, 50, and 70% of each muscle’s length; fascicle length (FL) was estimated from respective measurements of MT and PA within each muscle and region. Participants then began a high intensity, low volume (4 × 3 − 5 repetitions, 3min rest) lower-body resistance training program, and repeated all PRE-assessments after 8 weeks (2 d · wk−1) of training (POST). Although three-way (muscle [RF, VL] × region [30, 50, 70%] × time [PRE, POST]) repeated measures analysis of variance did not reveal significant interactions for any assessment of morphology, significant simple (muscle × time) effects were observed for CSA (p = 0.002) and FL (p = 0.016). Specifically, average CSA changes favored the VL (2.96 ± 0.69 cm2, pp < 0.001) over the RF (0.59 ± 0.20 cm2, p = 0.011), while significant decreases in average FL were noted for the RF (–1.03 ± 0.30 cm, p = 0.004) but not the VL (–0.05 ± 0.36 cm, p = 0.901). No other significant differences were observed. The findings of this study demonstrate the occurrence of non-homogenous adaptations in RF and VL muscle size and architecture following 8 weeks of high-intensity resistance training in resistance-trained men. However, training does not appear to influence region-specific adaptations in either muscle.


Author(s):  
Filipe Abdalla dos Reis ◽  
Carolina Palma ◽  
Patrícia Isabel Machry Barbosa ◽  
Filipe Abdalla dos Reis ◽  
Daniel Martins Pereira

O imobilismo acomete diversos sistemas tais como o gastrointestinal, urinário, cardiovascular, respiratório, cutâneo e musculoesqueléticoe intervenções precoces são necessárias para reduzir os problemas físicos e psicológicos. Objetivo: analisar a eficácia da corrente Aussie namelhora da força muscular do quadríceps em indivíduos restritos ao leito. Métodos: Participaram do estudo 12 indivíduos, sendo 7 homens e5 mulheres, distribuídos aleatoriamente em grupo controle (GC) e grupo tratado (GT). Utilizou-se a dinamometria isométrica (handheld) paraavaliação da força e, também, o ultrassom diagnóstico para avaliar a área de secção transversa do músculo reto femoral. Todos os participantes foram avaliados em dois períodos denominados de pré e pós. Resultados: Verificou-se redução significativa de força no GC coxa direita 2,5 N (p=0,047) e esquerda 3,8 N (p=0,008) nos momentos pré e pós. O GT apresentou ganho de força não significativa na coxa direita 4,9 N (p=0,117) e esquerda 3,2 N (p=0,107). Na ultrassonografia verificou-se no GC, redução não significativa na área da coxa direita 0,04 cm (p=0,283) e significativa na esquerda 0,06 cm (p=0,037). No GT houve redução não significativa coxa direita 0,13 cm (p=0,099) e significativa esquerda 0,22 cm (p=0,002). Conclusão: Pode-se inferir que a associação entre exercícios isométricos e corrente Aussie contribuiu para aumentar a força muscular do quadríceps em indivíduos com imobilidade ao leito.Palavras-chave: Força Muscular. Resposta de Imobilidade Tônica. Músculo Quadriceps.AbstractImmobilism affects several systems such as the gastrointestinal, urinary, cardiovascular, respiratory, cutaneous and musculoskeletal and earlyinterventions are necessary to reduce physical and psychological problems. Objective: to analyze the effectiveness of the Aussie current in the improvement of quadriceps muscle strength in bed restricted individuals. Methods: Twelve individuals, 7 males and 5 females, were randomly assigned to the control group (CG) and treated group (TG). The use of isometric dynamometry (handheld) for strength evaluation and also the diagnostic ultrasound to evaluate the cross-sectional area of the rectus femoris muscle. All participants were evaluated in two periods called pre and post. Results: There was a significant reduction of strength in the right thigh in CG 2.5 N (p = 0.047) and left 3.8 N (p = 0.008) in the pre and post moments. TG presented a non-significant strength gain in the right thigh 4.9 N (p = 0.117) and left 3.2 N (p = 0.107). Ultrasonography showed no significant reduction in the right thigh area 0.04 cm (p = 0.283) and significant at the left (0.06 cm) (p = 0.037). In the TG there was no significant reduction in the right thigh 0.13 cm (p = 0.099) and significant in the left one 0.22 cm (p = 0.002). Conclusion: It can be inferred that the association between isometric exercises and current Aussie contributed to increase the muscular strength of the quadriceps in individuals with immobility to bed.Keywords: Muscle Strength. Tonic Immobility Response. Quadriceps Muscle.


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