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Using Shear-Wave Elastography to Assess Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Review
Urška Ličen1, Žiga Kozinc1,2
1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, 6310 Izola, Slovenia.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 14, 2022
Summary
Shear-wave elastography shows promise for assessing muscle damage, particularly after eccentric exercise. Increases in muscle stiffness correlate with strength loss, suggesting its utility in sports science and clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Sports Science
- Musculoskeletal Research
Background:
- Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is an emerging technique for measuring muscle stiffness.
- Its application in evaluating exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is gaining traction.
- Understanding SWE's utility is crucial for accurate EIMD assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize current research on the use of SWE for assessing muscle damage.
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of SWE in different exercise contexts.
- To identify optimal measurement protocols and potential underlying mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of studies employing SWE to assess muscle damage.
- Analysis of reported changes in shear modulus following various exercise protocols (eccentric, endurance).
- Correlation analysis between SWE-derived stiffness and measures of muscle function (e.g., voluntary strength).
Main Results:
- SWE generally supports its role as a promising tool for muscle damage assessment.
- Increased shear modulus is consistently observed immediately and for several days post-eccentric exercise.
- Mixed results are reported for endurance events; however, stiffness increases correlate with strength loss.
Conclusions:
- SWE is a valuable, non-invasive method for detecting muscle damage, especially following eccentric contractions.
- Recommendations include multi-muscle and longer muscle length measurements for improved accuracy.
- Further research is needed to correlate SWE findings with direct muscle damage assessments (e.g., biopsy) and elucidate mechanisms like calcium homeostasis disruption.
