ArticleClinical biomechanics (Bristol, Avon)2015
Shear wave elastography of passive skeletal muscle stiffness: influences of sex and age throughout adulthood.
Article in Clinical biomechanics (Bristol, Avon), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 126 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
126 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 285 citations in OpenAlex.
- Muscle elasticity variations in assessing age-related changes in adults - A systematic review.Geriatrics & gerontology international · 2025Pooled it
- Characterizing Musculoskeletal Tissue Mechanics Based on Shear Wave Propagation: A Systematic Review of Current Methods and Reported Measurements.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2022Pooled it
- Does 25(OH)D deficiency affect muscle elasticity, physical function, pain, and quality of life? A shear-wave elastography-based cross-sectional study.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026Article
- Light-assisted 3D bioprinting of tough hydrogels in biomedical applications.Materials today. Bio · 2026Review
- Elucidation of Architectural and Compositional Factors Associated With Inter-Individual Variability in Passive Shear Modulus of the Human Vastus Lateralis in Young Healthy Males.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2026Article
- Sex-specific effects of fatiguing exercise on skeletal muscle passive mechanics are preserved in aging.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Measuring shear wave velocity: a potential tool for early detection of muscle decline in middle aged and older adults with type 2 diabetes.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Article
- Can MyotonPRO Be Used to Assess the Muscles Surrounding the Shoulder Joint in Patients Who Have Undergone Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair (ARCR) and Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty (RSA)? A Review of the Current Evidence.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Exploring biomechanical differences between brain-first and body-first Parkinson's disease subtypes using shear wave elastography: a pilot cross-sectional study.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Article
- Relaxed Stiffness of Lower Extremity Muscles and Step Width Variability as Key Differences Between Sarcopenia and Dynapenia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Strain-based biomarkers at the skin surface differentiate asymmetries in soft tissue mobility associated with myofascial pain.Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials · 2025Article
- Explorative study using ultrasound time-harmonic elastography for stiffness-based quantification of skeletal muscle function.Zeitschrift fur medizinische Physik · 2025Article
- Standardizing shear wave elastography for sarcopenia assessment: A necessary step forward.Geriatrics & gerontology international · 2025Article
- Forearm rotation and elbow angle differentially modulate biceps brachii and brachioradialis muscle stiffness and EMG activity during low-load isometric contractions: a cross-sectional study in healthy individuals.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Acute Lateral Ankle Sprain Impairs Function and Strength Without Altering Muscle or Tendon Stiffness: A Controlled Observational Study.Orthopaedic surgery · 2025Observational
- Rheological Investigation of Polydimethylsiloxane with Glass Beads: A Model for Compression-Stiffening Effects in Soft Tissue Engineering.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Novel Noninvasive Imaging Techniques to Assess Structural, Functional, and Material Properties of Tendon, Ligament, and Cartilage: A Narrative Review of Current Concepts.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- Alterations in skeletal muscle health and biomechanical properties in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: an exploratory cross-sectional study.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Microvascular endothelial cells display organ-specific responses to extracellular matrix stiffness.Current research in physiology · 2025Article
- Subregions of the Rotator Cuff Muscles Present Distinct Anatomy, Biomechanics, and Function.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
66 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNumerous structural and compositional changes - related not only to age, but also activity level and sex - may affect skeletal muscle stiffness across the adult age-span. Measurement techniques available thus far have largely limited passive stiffness evaluations to those of entire joints and muscle-tendon units. Shear wave elastography is an increasingly popular ultrasound technique for evaluating the mechanical properties of skeletal muscle tissue. The purpose of this study was to quantify the passive stiffness, or shear modulus, of the biceps brachii throughout adulthood in flexed and extended elbow positions. We hypothesized that shear modulus would be higher in males relative to females, and with advanced age in both sexes.
methodsShear wave elastography quantified biceps brachii stiffness at 90° elbow flexion and full extension in a large sample of adults between 21 and 94 years old (n=133; 47 males).
findingsRegression analysis found sex and age were significant parameters for older adults (>60 years) in full extension. As expected, shear modulus values increased with advancing age; however, shear modulus values for females tended to be higher than those for males.
interpretationThis study begins to establish normative trends for skeletal muscle shear modulus throughout adulthood. Specifically, this work establishes for the first time that the higher passive joint torque often found in males relative to females likely relates to parameters other than muscle shear modulus. Indeed, perhaps increases in skeletal muscle passive stiffness, though potentially altering the length-tension curve, serve a protective role - maintaining the tendon-muscle-tendon length-tension curve within a functional range.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.