ArticleBMJ open sport & exercise medicine2019
Objective assessment of stiffness in the gastrocnemius muscle in patients with symptomatic Achilles tendons.
Article in BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Non invasive techniques for direct muscle quality assessment after exercise intervention in older adults: a systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Asynchronous recovery of medial and lateral gastrocnemius mechanical properties and jump performance following localized plantar flexor fatigue.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 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
- Acute Decrease in Glenohumeral Internal Rotation During Repetitive Baseball Pitching Is Associated with Transient Structural Changes in Medial Longitudinal Arch of Stride Leg: Pilot Study Using Mixed Model.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Regional variations and sex-related differences of stiffness in human tracheal ligaments.Surgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA · 2024Article
- Dynamic Hydrogels with Viscoelasticity and Tunable Stiffness for the Regulation of Cell Behavior and Fate.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- The Utility of Myotonometry in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation and Human Performance Programming.Journal of athletic training · 2023Review
- Assessing the Effects of Aging on Muscle Stiffness Using Shear Wave Elastography and Myotonometer.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Gender Difference in Architectural and Mechanical Properties of Medial Gastrocnemius-Achilles Tendon Unit In Vivo.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- The Measurement of Stiffness for Major Muscles with Shear Wave Elastography and Myoton: A Quantitative Analysis Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Normative Parameters of Gastrocnemius Muscle Stiffness and Associations with Patient Characteristics and Function.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo establish quantitative values of stiffness for the gastrocnemius muscle in patients diagnosed with Achilles tendinopathy.
designCase-control study with a single (cross sectional) time point of patients diagnosed with unilateral Achilles tendinopathy and an asymptomatic group.
methodsSample of 50 participants: 25 participants with symptomatic unilateral Achilles tendinopathy (symptomatic group) with the asymptomatic side of this group used as a control (control group 1). A third group of 25 participants with asymptomatic Achilles tendons (control group 2). Mechanical stiffness parameters, including natural oscillation frequency (F), dynamic stiffness (S), mechanical stress relaxation time (R), logarithmic decrement (D) and creep (C), were assessed using the MyotonPRO. Measurements at the medial and lateral gastrocnemii were taken as non-weight bearing (NWB) and weight bearing (WB).
resultsSignificant (p<0.05) differences were observed between the mean symptomatic group and control groups 1 and 2 in the WB and NWB conditions for natural oscillation frequency (F), dynamic stiffness (S), and creep (C). There was a significant reduction in S WB and conversely a significant increase in S of the symptomatic group NWB. Creep (C) and mechanical stress relaxation time (R) were significantly (p<0.05) less in the symptomatic group NWB. Significant differences were observed between the NWB and WB data sets for logarithmic decrement (D). NWB D demonstrated significantly (p<0.05) higher scores than the WB condition.
conclusionThis study demonstrated that there was a significant reduction in stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle in participants with Achilles tendinopathy compared with the two control groups. The WB MyotonPRO measures for the symptomatic groups of F and S were significantly lower, indicating a decrease in the tonal properties (F) and dynamic stiffness (S) of the muscle. The application of MyotonPRO technology to measure changes in stiffness in the gastrocnemius muscle may be useful to measure as part of a rehabilitation programme where specific attention could be placed to increase the tonal properties of the muscle. Further studies are required to develop a robust clinical application of this technology, particularly with regard to Achilles tendinopathy.
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