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Handbook of Human Motion pp 157–176Cite as

Ultrasound Technology for Examining the Mechanics of the Muscle, Tendon, and Ligament

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Abstract

Ultrasound imaging provides a means to look inside the body and examine how tissues respond to mechanical stress or muscle contraction. As such, it can provide a valuable tool for understanding how muscle, tendon, and ligament mechanics influence the way we move, or vice versa, in health and disease, or to understand how and why these tissues might get injured due to chronic or acute loading. This chapter explores the basic concepts of ultrasound and how it can be used to examine muscle, tendon, and ligament structure and mechanical function. It introduces different techniques, like conventional B-mode imaging, three-dimensional ultrasound, and various forms of elastography that can be used to quantify geometrical and mechanical properties of the muscle, tendon, and ligament. Furthermore, methods to quantify muscle and tendon mechanical function during dynamic human movement are explored, and recommendations provided on which techniques are most suitable for different biomechanical investigations. Finally, some predictions about how new ultrasound imaging technologies might continue to advance our understanding of human motion are proposed and explored.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Sensorimotor Performance, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, St Lucia, QLD, Australia

    Glen Lichtwark

Authors
  1. Glen Lichtwark
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Correspondence to Glen Lichtwark .

Section Editor information

  1. Institut for Biomechanics und Orthopedic, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Gert-Peter Brüggemann

  2. Department of Computer Science, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

    Zhigang Deng

  3. McIntosh Consultancy and Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Andrew S. McIntosh

  4. Wilmington, Delaware, USA

    Freeman Miller

  5. C-Motion Inc., Germantown, USA

    W. Scott Selbie

  6. Has-Motion Inc., 27 Sydenham Street, K7L3G8, Kingston, ON, Canada

    William Scott Selbie

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Lichtwark, G. (2018). Ultrasound Technology for Examining the Mechanics of the Muscle, Tendon, and Ligament. In: Handbook of Human Motion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14418-4_156

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