ArticleAging clinical and experimental research2023
Lower gastrocnemius muscle stiffness, derived from elastography, is an independent factor for falls in older adults.
Article in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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8 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Investigating the Differences in the Simple Reaction Time and Muscle Stiffness Between Gym Users and Open-Skills Sport Practitioners: An Exploratory Study.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Ultrasound Elastography for the Assessment of Sarcopenia.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Quantitative ultrasound assessment of gastrocnemius muscle changes in patients with knee osteoarthritis.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Article
- The role of shear wave elastography in diagnosing sarcopenia in patients with type 2 diabetes.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2025Article
- Shear wave elastography for noninvasive assessment of intracompartmental pressure in tibial plateau fractures: a cross-sectional study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- The role of physical activity in mitigating age-related changes in the neuromuscular control of gait.npj aging · 2025Article
- Article
- Assessment of Muscle Stiffness Using the MyotonPro: Effects of Fatigue on Vastus Lateralis and Medialis Muscles.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
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12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsIt is well known that components of sarcopenia (i.e., decreased muscle strength and mass) are related to falls in older adults. However, the possible effects of changes in muscle quality on falls have not been identified. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in muscle quality reflected by muscle stiffness derived from shear-wave elastography (SWE) and its association with falls in older adults.
methodsA total of 101 geriatric outpatients were included in the study. Assessments of physical performance, muscle strength (handgrip strength), muscle mass (muscle ultrasonography and bioelectrical impedance analysis), and muscle stiffness of the medial head of gastrocnemius (GCM) in relaxation and passive stretching were performed. The history of falls in the previous year was questioned and recorded.
resultsThe median (25-75 percentiles) age of participants was 73 (69-77) years, and 66.3% (n = 67) were female. According to fall history, participants were divided into non-fallers and fallers groups, and 72 (71.3%) and 29 (28.7%) participants were in each group, respectively. The median muscle stiffness of (Emean) the GCM in passive stretching was significantly lower in the fallers group (p < 0.001), and it was significantly correlated with the number of falls in the previous year (r: - 0.274, p: 0.010). In regression analyses, the Emean value of GCM in passive stretching was significantly associated with falls independent of confounders (OR: 0.944, 95% CI 0.90-0.98, p = 0.010). DISCUSSION AND
conclusionThis is the first study to reveal the relationship between falls and SWE-defined lower GCM stiffness independently of muscle mass and strength.
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