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Int J Sports Med 2023; 44(07): 524-531
DOI: 10.1055/a-2029-8909
Training & Testing

The Influence of Daily Exercise on Muscle Echo Intensity and Stiffness in Young Women

Akito Yoshiko 
1   Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Chukyo University, Toyota, Japan
,
Hirohito Mitsuyama
2   School of Health and Sport Sciences, Chukyo University, Toyota, Japan
,
Rieko Kuramochi
2   School of Health and Sport Sciences, Chukyo University, Toyota, Japan
,
Megumi Ohta
3   Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Chukyo University, Nagoya, Japan
› Author Affiliations Funding Information Extreme Technical Union Research Project from Chukyo University — n. a.
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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of daily exercise on skeletal muscle function, size, and quality in young women. Twenty-six young women participated in this study, categorized into daily exercise and non-exercise groups. The exercise group had performed exercise or training three times a week for more than six months. Knee extension and flexion, plantar flexion, and dorsiflexion peak torques were measured for muscle function. B-mode ultrasound images were taken from the thigh and calf, and muscle thickness and echo intensity were measured in the vastus lateralis and medial gastrocnemius. Shear modulus at different joint angles of the knee (0° [full extended], 40°, and 90°) and ankle (40 °plantarflexion, 0° [neutral], and 10° dorsiflexion) was measured from the vastus lateralis and medial gastrocnemius to determine muscle stiffness. Peak torque and echo intensity did not significantly differ between the exercise and non-exercise groups. Shear modulus in the medial gastrocnemius at 10° dorsiflexion was significantly lower in the exercise group compared with the non-exercise group (34.2±7.7 vs. 46.5±13.1 kPa, P<0.05). These results suggest that daily exercise and training could affect muscle stiffness, but do not lead to an increase in muscle function.

Key words

daily exercise - muscle stiffness - echo intensity - maximal peak torque - young women


Publication History

Received: 27 October 2022

Accepted: 06 February 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
07 February 2023

Article published online:
26 April 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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