ArticleJournal of anatomy2017
Stiffness mapping of lower leg muscles during passive dorsiflexion.
Article in Journal of anatomy, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 111 citations in OpenAlex.
- Remote Changes of Mechanical Stiffness Following Local Stretching or Contraction: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2026Pooled 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
- Comparison of A Single Vibration Foam Rolling and Static Stretching Exercise on the Muscle Function and Mechanical Properties of the Hamstring Muscles.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2022Trial
- A comparison of foam rolling and vibration foam rolling on the quadriceps muscle function and mechanical properties.European journal of applied physiology · 2021Trial
- Trial
- The relationship between passive ankle joint stiffness and the stiffnesses of muscles, nerve and tendon.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Layer-Specific Shear Wave Elastography Reveals the Tissue Origin of MyotonPRO-Derived Muscle Stiffness.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The energetic cost of human standing balance and gait initiation over a range of natural postures.PLoS computational biology · 2026Article
- Acute effects of dynamic stretching on the mechanical properties of the triceps surae muscles assessed using shear wave ultrasound elastography.Journal of medical ultrasonics (2001) · 2026Article
- Shear Wave Elastography in Children: Normative Values and the Impact of Healthy Habits in a Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Elasticity mapping of gastrocnemius fascia and myotendinous junction of the medial gastrocnemius during passive ankle and knee dorsiflexion.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Article
- Muscle Tendon Passive Parameter Estimation Using Musculoskeletal Optimal Control.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- Ankle-angle-dependent shear wave velocity of the Achilles tendon and triceps surae during passive dorsiflexion in runners with Achilles tendinopathy.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- A spinal network of proprioceptive reflexes can produce a variety of bipedal gaits.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Mechanical asymmetries in gastrocnemius stiffness: shear-wave elastography insights into the biomechanics and injury susceptibility of calf muscle strain injuries.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- The effect of short-term treatment with botulinum toxin a on muscle stiffness in stroke patients: an exploratory study.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2025Article
- Effects of superficial tissue and intermuscular connections on rectus femoris muscle shear modulus heterogeneity.Journal of ultrasound · 2024Article
- Dose Escalation Can Enhance the Therapeutic Potential of Radial Extracorporeal Shock-Wave Therapy in the Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis in Runners.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- Is muscle stiffness a determinant for range of motion in the leg muscles?Biology of sport · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
It is challenging to differentiate the mechanical properties of synergist muscles in vivo. Shear wave elastography can be used to quantify the shear modulus (i.e. an index of stiffness) of a specific muscle. This study assessed the passive behavior of lower leg muscles during passive dorsiflexion performed with the knee fully extended (experiment 1, n = 22) or with the knee flexed at 90° (experiment 2, n = 20). The shear modulus measurements were repeated twice during experiment 1 to assess the inter-day reliability. During both experiments, the shear modulus of the following plantar flexors was randomly measured: gastrocnemii medialis (GM) and lateralis (GL), soleus (SOL), peroneus longus (PL), and the deep muscles flexor digitorum longus (FDL), flexor hallucis longus (FHL), tibialis posterior (TP). Two antagonist muscles tibialis anterior (TA), and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were also recorded. Measurements were performed in different proximo-distal regions for GM, GL and SOL. Inter-day reliability was adequate for all muscles (coefficient of variation < 15%), except for TP. In experiment 1, GM exhibited the highest shear modulus at 80% of the maximal range of motion (128.5 ± 27.3 kPa) and was followed by GL (67.1 ± 24.1 kPa). In experiment 2, SOL exhibited the highest shear modulus (55.1 ± 18.0 kPa). The highest values of shear modulus were found for the distal locations of both the GM (80% of participants in experiment 1) and the SOL (100% of participants in experiment 2). For both experiments, deep muscles and PL exhibited low levels of stiffness during the stretch in young asymptomatic adults, which was unknown until now. These results provide a deeper understanding of passive mechanical properties and the distribution of stiffness between and within the plantar flexor muscles during stretching between them and thus could be relevant to study the effects of aging, disease progression, and rehabilitation on stiffness.
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Registered trials
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