Effects of ultrasound therapy at different sites of gastrocnemius: analysis on muscle hardness using strain elastography

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the impact of ultrasound therapy on the hardness of gastrocnemius muscle and determine whether the effects of the therapy vary across different segments of the muscle. This study included 20 healthy students who underwent ultrasound therapy at a frequency of 3 MHz, targeting the proximal, abdominal, and distal regions of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle. Muscle hardness was assessed using strain elastography, and the distance from the skin to the deepest part of the gastrocnemius muscle was measured using ultrasound imaging. The findings demonstrate that the strain values in the abdominal and distal regions of the gastrocnemius muscle were significantly reduced following the intervention. In contrast, the strain values in the proximal region showed no significant difference between the pre- and postintervention periods. Furthermore, in the proximal segment, the distance from the skin to the deepest part of the gastrocnemius muscle was significantly longer than in the abdominal and distal segments. These findings suggest that 3 MHz ultrasound therapy on the gastrocnemius muscle had varying effects depending on the site, with the distance to the deepest part of the gastrocnemius muscle possibly playing a role. Thus, for ultrasound therapy on the gastrocnemius muscle, the irradiation setting for each site, as well as the tissue depth, must be considered.