Quantifying skeletal muscle recovery in a rat injury model using ultrasound imaging

Monitoring skeletal muscle health during recovery or degeneration is of great interest both clinically and in research settings. This type of monitoring requires health measurements be taken at multiple time points. Contraction strength is a commonly used metric for quantifying muscle health, but it requires invasive in vitro or in situ procedures that may further damage the tissue. Ultrasound imaging can be used to visualize muscle damage, and semi-quantitative grading scales have been shown to be effective at characterizing abnormalities. Using an established functional testing procedure in a rat model as a baseline measurement of muscle strength, we show that ultrasound imaging combined with a semi-quantitative grading scale can be used to monitor recovery after contusion injury. Although additional work is needed to refine the imaging and grading procedures, ultrasound promises a fast and non-invasive alternative to functional testing for characterizing skeletal muscle health.