1,721,001 research outputs found
Ultrasound imaging of lumbar multifidus: normal reference ranges for measurements and practical guidance on the technique
No full textThis cross-sectional, prospective study aimed to produce normal reference data for measurements of the lumbar multifidus muscle. A total of 120 subjects, 68 females (aged 2064 years) and 52 males (2069 years) were studied. Bilateral transverse ultrasound images were made of multifidus at the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae (L4 and L5). Cross-sectional area (CSA, cm2) and linear dimensions (AP, anteroposterior Lat, lateral) were measured and the latter expressed as a ratio (AP/Lat) to reflect shape. Relationships between CSA and anthropometric measures were examined. Multifidus CSA was larger in males (P<0.001) and age had no effect. The CSA was larger at L5 than L4 (P<0.001) and highly correlated between the two levels (males r=0.82, females 0.80). Differences in muscle shape were observed for gender, age and vertebral level. Between-side symmetry was high for size but not shape (CSA <10% difference). Linear measurements multiplied (APxLat) correlated highly with CSA (all groups r0.94, P<0.0001). The AP dimension was also acceptably predictive of CSA at L4 (r0.79). There were no clinically useful correlations between CSA and anthropometric measures. These findings provide normal references ranges for objective assessment of lumbar multifidus. This paper also addresses specific practical issues when scanning multifidus
Changes in the normal characteristic pattern of abdominal muscle thickness in rowers with low back pain (the proceedings of the Society for Research in Rehabilitation meeting held at the Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow on 30th January 2001)
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Factors affecting the size and shape of lumbar multifidus measured by ultrasound imaging in healthy untrained subjects
No full textThe effects of serial knee casting on muscle geometry and joint range on two neurological patients
No full textGeometry of the vastus lateralis muscle in control subjects and neurological patients as determined by ultrasonography.
No full textChanges in the normal characteristic pattern of abdominal muscle thickness in rowers with low back pain
No full textRoyal Hospital for Neuro-disability, London and Applied Biomedical Research Group, GKT School of Biomedical Sciences, King’s College London Background: The relationship between the size and therefore force-generating capacity of individual abdominal muscles is unknown and maybe influenced by various factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the normal relative contribution of individual muscles to total abdominal muscle thickness, and to examine the association with training and low back pain (LBP).Method: Three groups of male subjects (age range 18–30 years) were studied: elite rowers with (n = 10) or without (n = 20) current or previous LBP and age-matched controls (n = 18). Real-time ultrasound imaging was used to measure the external oblique (EO), internal oblique(IO), transversus abdominis (TA) and rectus abdominis (RA) bilaterally. The relative thickness of each muscle was expressed as a percentage of total abdominal muscle thickness.Results: The controls and rowers without LBP showed the same pattern of order of relative thickness. As a group the rowers with LBP were not significantly different from the other two groups. However, as each rower with LBP showed a different pattern and considerable individual variation, analysis of group means was therefore inappropriate. Fisher’s Exact Test classified the rowers with LBP as showing significantly abnormal patterns (p < 0.05). An example of a rower with LBP is shown in Figure 1.Discussion: A characteristic pattern of relative abdominal muscle thickness was found in controls and rowers without LBP. In rowers with LBP the pattern was altered; this could be a cause or effect of LBP.Conclusions: Ultrasound imaging can be used to aid assessment of abdominal muscle involvement in LBP. Specific abnormalities could be addressed by individual exercise programmes, the effects of which need to be evaluated to provide evidence for rehabilitation
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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