Shear wave elastography assessment and comparison study of the Achilles tendons in optimally conditioned asymptomatic young collegiate athletes

Objective To assess the functional parameters of the Achilles tendons among asymptomatic college level athletes using shear wave elastography (SWE) and to describe the relationship to athlete demographics and anthropometric lower extremity measurements. Material and methods Sixty-five athletes were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Skeletal radiology 2021-12, Vol.50 (12), p.2381-2392
Main Authors: Gonzalez, Felix M., Gleason, Courtney A, Lee, Kenneth S., Labid, Sameh A, Nazarian, Levon N, Morrison, William B, Reiter, David A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achilles tendon
Ankle
Asymptomatic
Athletes
Demographics
Demography
Diameters
Feet
Imaging
Mechanical properties
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Modulus of elasticity
Nuclear Medicine
Orthopedics
Parameters
Pathology
Plantar flexion
Radiology
Running
Scientific Article
Sports
Stiffness
Student athletes
Tendons
Tibia
Velocity
Wave propagation
Wave velocity
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Summary:Objective To assess the functional parameters of the Achilles tendons among asymptomatic college level athletes using shear wave elastography (SWE) and to describe the relationship to athlete demographics and anthropometric lower extremity measurements. Material and methods Sixty-five athletes were included in this IRB-approved study. SWE measurements were made on two tendon positions (neutral state and active maximum dorsiflexion) with two different probe orientations (longitudinal and transverse). Associations were assessed with BMI, tibial/foot length, type of sports, and resting/maximal dorsiflexion-plantar flexion angles. Results Thirty-five (53.8%) males and 30 (46.2%) females with an overall mean age of 20.9 years (± 2.8), mean height of 176 cm (± 0.11), and mean weight of 74.1 kg (± 12) were studied. In the neutral state, the mean wave velocity of 7.5 m sec −1 and the mean elastic modulus of 176.8 kPa were recorded. In active maximum dorsiflexion, the mean velocity was 8.3 m sec −1 and mean elastic modulus was 199 kPa. On the transverse view, the mean velocity and elastic measurements were significantly lower ( p  = 0.0001). No significant differences in SWE parameters were seen between male and female athletes regardless of probe orientation ( p  
ISSN:0364-2348
1432-2161
DOI:10.1007/s00256-021-03798-5