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Shear modulus of lower limb muscles in school-aged children with mild hypotonia

Miran Goo1, Leanne M Johnston2, Kylie Tucker1

  • 1The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences, Brisbane, Australia.

Journal of Biomechanics
|August 14, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Children with mild hypotonia exhibit lower muscle shear modulus compared to those with cerebral palsy or Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Muscle stiffness increases with longer muscle length in hypotonic children.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Musculoskeletal Physiology
  • Pediatric Rehabilitation

Background:

  • Hypotonia in children is associated with altered muscle properties.
  • Understanding muscle shear modulus is crucial for assessing muscle function in pediatric populations.
  • Previous research has not fully characterized shear modulus in hypotonic children across different muscle lengths.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare lower limb muscle shear modulus in children with mild hypotonia against typically developing (TD) children and those with other developmental disorders.
  • To investigate the relationship between muscle shear modulus and muscle length (Net-Longitudinal Tension Angle - Net-LTA) in hypotonic children.
  • To examine correlations between shear modulus and age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) in this cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Shear wave elastography was used to measure resting shear modulus in the rectus femoris, biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA), and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) of 19 children with mild hypotonia.
  • Muscle shear modulus was assessed at short and long muscle lengths, defined by Net-LTA.
  • Data were compared with existing data from TD children and a scoping review of children with developmental disorders.

Main Results:

  • Shear modulus was significantly higher at longer muscle lengths compared to shorter lengths across all four measured muscles in hypotonic children (p < 0.01).
  • Shear modulus showed correlations with age (BF-short, GL-short) and BMI (BF-short).
  • Children with mild hypotonia had lower shear modulus values than children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Cerebral Palsy, but not TD children.

Conclusions:

  • Muscle shear modulus in children with mild hypotonia increases with greater muscle length (higher Net-LTA).
  • Mild hypotonia is characterized by lower muscle shear modulus compared to more severe conditions like Cerebral Palsy and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
  • These findings contribute to understanding the biomechanical differences in hypotonic pediatric populations.

Keywords:
ChildrenHypotoniaMuscle stiffnessShear modulusShear wave elastography

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