TY - JOUR A1 - Rector, Michael V. A1 - Intziegianni, Konstantina A1 - Müller, Steffen A1 - Mayer, Frank A1 - Cassel, Michael T1 - Reproducibility of an ankle joint rotation correction method for assessment of Achilles tendon elongation JF - Isokinetics and exercise science : official journal of the European Isokinetic Society N2 - BACKGROUND: The Achilles tendon (AT) requires optimal material and mechanical properties to function properly. Calculation of these properties depends on accurate measurement of input parameters (i.e. tendon elongation). However, the measurement of AT elongation with ultrasound during maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) is overestimated by ankle joint rotation (AJR). Methods to correct the influence of this rotation on AT elongation exist, yet their reproducibility in clinical settings is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the test-retest reproducibility of AT elongation during MVIC after AJR correction. METHODS: Ten participants attended test and retest measurements where they performed plantar-flexion MVIC on a dynamometer. Simultaneously, ultrasound recorded AT elongation as the displacement of the medial gastrocnemius-myotendinous junction, while an electrogoniometer measured AJR. The ankle was then passively rotated to the AJR achieved during MVIC and AT elongation again determined. Elongation was corrected by subtracting this passive AT elongation from the total AT elongation during MVIC. Reproducibility was evaluated using ICC (2.1), test-retest variability (TRV, %), Bland-Altman analyses (Bias +/- LoA [1.96*SD]) and standard error of the measurement (SEM). RESULTS: Corrected AT elongation reproducibility exhibited an ICC = 0.79, SEM = 0.2 cm and TRV = 20 +/- 19%. Bias +/- LoA were determined to be 0.0 +/- 0.8 cm. CONCLUSIONS: Using this ultrasound and electrogoniometer-based method, corrected AT elongation can be assessed reproducibly. KW - Ultrasonography KW - Achilles tendon KW - reproducibility KW - isokinetic KW - ankle joint rotation Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3233/IES-160644 SN - 0959-3020 SN - 1878-5913 VL - 25 IS - 1 SP - 47 EP - 52 PB - IOS Press CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Intziegianni, Konstantina A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Rauf, S. A1 - White, S. A1 - Rector, Michael V. A1 - Kaplick, Hannes A1 - Wahmkow, Gunnar A1 - Kratzenstein, S. A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Influence of Age and Pathology on Achilles Tendon Properties During a Single-leg Jump JF - International journal of sports medicine N2 - Prevalence of Achilles tendinopathy increases with age leading to a weaker tendon with predisposition to rupture. Conclusive evidence of the influence of age and pathology on Achilles tendon (AT) properties remains limited, as previous studies are based on standardized isometric conditions. The study investigates the influence of age and pathology on AT properties during single-leg vertical jump (SLVJ). 10 children (C), 10 asymptomatic adults (A), and 10 tendinopathic patients (T) were included. AT elongation [mm] from rest to maximal displacement during a SLVJ on a force-plate was sonographically assessed. AT compliance [mm/N]) and strain [%] was calculated by dividing elongation by peak ground reaction force [N] and length, respectively. One-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post-hoc correction (=0.05) were used to compare C with A and A with T. AT elongation (p=0.004), compliance (p=0.001), and strain were found to be statistically significant higher in C (27 +/- 3mm, 0.026 +/- 0.006[mm/N], 13 +/- 2%) compared to A (21 +/- 4mm, 0.017 +/- 0.005[mm/N], 10 +/- 2%). No statistically significant differences (p0.05) was found between A and T (25 +/- 5mm, 0.019 +/- 0.004[mm/N], 12 +/- 3%). During SLVJ, tendon responded differently in regards to age and pathology with children having the most compliant AT. Higher compliance found in healthy tendons might be considered as a protective factor against load-related injuries. KW - children KW - tendinopathy KW - compliance KW - dynamic KW - ultrasonography Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-108198 SN - 0172-4622 SN - 1439-3964 VL - 37 SP - 973 EP - 978 PB - Thieme CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Risch, Lucie A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Acute effect of running exercise on physiological Achilles tendon blood flow JF - Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports N2 - Sonographically detectable intratendinous blood flow (IBF) is found in 50%-88% of Achilles tendinopathy patients as well as in up to 35% of asymptomatic Achilles tendons (AT). Although IBF is frequently associated with tendon pathology, it may also represent a physiological regulation, for example, due to increased blood flow in response to exercise. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the acute effects of a standardized running exercise protocol on IBF assessed with Doppler ultrasound (DU) Advanced dynamic flow in healthy ATs. 10 recreationally active adults (5 f, 5m; 29 +/- 3years, 1.72 +/- 0.12m, 68 +/- 16kg, physical activity 206 +/- 145minute/wk) with no history of AT pain and inconspicious tendon structure performed 3 treadmill running tasks on separate days (M1-3) with DU examinations directly before and 5, 30, 60, and 120minutes after exercise. At M1, an incremental exercise test was used to determine the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT). At M2 and M3, participants performed 30-minute submaximal constant load tests (CL1/CL2) with an intensity 5% below IAT. IBF in each tendon was quantified by counting the number of vessels. IBF increased in five ATs from no vessels at baseline to one to four vessels solely detectable 5minutes after CL1 or CL2. One AT had persisting IBF (three vessels) throughout all examinations. Fourteen ATs revealed no IBF at all. Prolonged running led to a physiological, temporary appearance of IBF in 25% of asymptomatic ATs. To avoid exercise-induced IBF in clinical practice, DU examinations should be performed after 30minutes of rest. KW - advanced dynamic flow KW - doppler ultrasound KW - hyperemia KW - neovascularization KW - sonography Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12874 SN - 0905-7188 SN - 1600-0838 VL - 28 IS - 1 SP - 138 EP - 143 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - GEN A1 - Wojcinski, Sebastian A1 - Dupont, Jennifer A1 - Schmidt, Werner A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Hillemanns, Peter T1 - Real-time ultrasound elastography in 180 axillary lymph nodes BT - elasticity distribution in healthy lymph nodes and prediction of breast cancer metastases T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Background To determine the general appearance of normal axillary lymph nodes (LNs) in real-time tissue sonoelastography and to explore the method′s potential value in the prediction of LN metastases. Methods Axillary LNs in healthy probands (n=165) and metastatic LNs in breast cancer patients (n=15) were examined with palpation, B-mode ultrasound, Doppler and sonoelastography (assessment of the elasticity of the cortex and the medulla). The elasticity distributions were compared and sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) were calculated. In an exploratory analysis, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) were calculated based upon the estimated prevalence of LN metastases in different risk groups. Results In the elastogram, the LN cortex was significantly harder than the medulla in both healthy (p=0.004) and metastatic LNs (p=0.005). Comparing healthy and metastatic LNs, there was no difference in the elasticity distribution of the medulla (p=0.281), but we found a significantly harder cortex in metastatic LNs (p=0.006). The SE of clinical examination, B-mode ultrasound, Doppler ultrasound and sonoelastography was revealed to be 13.3%, 40.0%, 14.3% and 60.0%, respectively, and SP was 88.4%, 96.8%, 95.6% and 79.6%, respectively. The highest SE was achieved by the disjunctive combination of B-mode and elastographic features (cortex >3mm in B-mode or blue cortex in the elastogram, SE=73.3%). The highest SP was achieved by the conjunctive combination of B-mode ultrasound and elastography (cortex >3mm in B-mode and blue cortex in the elastogram, SP=99.3%). Conclusions Sonoelastography is a feasible method to visualize the elasticity distribution of LNs. Moreover, sonoelastography is capable of detecting elasticity differences between the cortex and medulla, and between metastatic and healthy LNs. Therefore, sonoelastography yields additional information about axillary LN status and can improve the PPV, although this method is still experimental. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 626 KW - breast ultrasound KW - axillary lymph nodes KW - sonoelastography KW - real-time tissue elastography KW - cancer detection KW - elasticity imaging KW - HI-RTE KW - lymph node metastases Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-431584 SN - 1866-8364 IS - 626 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Risch, Lucie A1 - Wochatz, Monique A1 - Messerschmidt, Janin A1 - Engel, Tilman A1 - Mayer, Frank A1 - Cassel, Michael T1 - Reliability of evaluating achilles tendon vascularization assessed with doppler ultrasound advanced dynamic flow JF - Journal of ultrasound in medicine N2 - The reliability of quantifying intratendinous vascularization by high-sensitivity Doppler ultrasound advanced dynamic flow has not been examined yet. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of evaluating Achilles tendon vascularization by advanced dynamic flow using established scoring systems. Methods-Three investigators evaluated vascularization in 67 recordings in a test-retest design, applying the Ohberg score, a modified Ohberg score, and a counting score. Intraobserver and interobserver agreement for the Ohberg score and modified Ohberg score was analyzed by the Cohen kappa and Fleiss kappa coefficients (absolute), Kendall tau b coefficient, and Kendall coefficient of concordance (W; relative). The reliability of the counting score was analyzed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) 2.1 and 3.1, the standard error of measurement (SEM), and Bland-Altman analysis (bias and limits of agreement [LoA]). Results-Intraobserver and interobserver agreement (absolute/relative) ranged from 0.61 to 0.87/0.87 to 0.95 and 0.11 to 0.66/0.76 to 0.89 for the Ohberg score and from 0.81 to 0.87/0.92 to 0.95 and 0.64 to 0.80/0.88 to 0.93 for the modified Ohberg score, respectively. The counting score revealed an intraobserver ICC of 0.94 to 0.97 (SEM, 1.0-1.5; bias, -1; and LoA, 3-4 vessels). The interobserver ICC for the counting score ranged from 0.91 to 0.98 (SEM, 1.0-1.9; bias, 0; and LoA, 3-5 vessels). Conclusions-The modified Ohberg score and counting score showed excellent reliability and seem convenient for research and clinical practice. The Ohberg score revealed decent intraobserver but unexpected low interobserver reliability and therefore cannot be recommended. KW - advanced dynamic flow KW - intratendinous blood flow KW - musculoskeletal KW - reliability KW - ultrasound Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jum.14414 SN - 0278-4297 SN - 1550-9613 VL - 37 IS - 3 SP - 737 EP - 744 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Steffen A1 - Müller, Juliane A1 - Stoll, Josefine A1 - Prieske, Olaf A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Incidence of back pain in adolescent athletes BT - a prospective study JF - BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation N2 - Background Recently, the incidence rate of back pain (BP) in adolescents has been reported at 21%. However, the development of BP in adolescent athletes is unclear. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of BP in young elite athletes in relation to gender and type of sport practiced. Methods Subjective BP was assessed in 321 elite adolescent athletes (m/f 57%/43%; 13.2 ± 1.4 years; 163.4 ± 11.4 cm; 52.6 ± 12.6 kg; 5.0 ± 2.6 training yrs; 7.6 ± 5.3 training h/week). Initially, all athletes were free of pain. The main outcome criterion was the incidence of back pain [%] analyzed in terms of pain development from the first measurement day (M1) to the second measurement day (M2) after 2.0 ± 1.0 year. Participants were classified into athletes who developed back pain (BPD) and athletes who did not develop back pain (nBPD). BP (acute or within the last 7 days) was assessed with a 5-step face scale (face 1–2 = no pain; face 3–5 = pain). BPD included all athletes who reported faces 1 and 2 at M1 and faces 3 to 5 at M2. nBPD were all athletes who reported face 1 or 2 at both M1 and M2. Data was analyzed descriptively. Additionally, a Chi2 test was used to analyze gender- and sport-specific differences (p = 0.05). Results Thirty-two athletes were categorized as BPD (10%). The gender difference was 5% (m/f: 12%/7%) but did not show statistical significance (p = 0.15). The incidence of BP ranged between 6 and 15% for the different sport categories. Game sports (15%) showed the highest, and explosive strength sports (6%) the lowest incidence. Anthropometrics or training characteristics did not significantly influence BPD (p = 0.14 gender to p = 0.90 sports; r2 = 0.0825). Conclusions BP incidence was lower in adolescent athletes compared to young non-athletes and even to the general adult population. Consequently, it can be concluded that high-performance sports do not lead to an additional increase in back pain incidence during early adolescence. Nevertheless, back pain prevention programs should be implemented into daily training routines for sport categories identified as showing high incidence rates. KW - Pain occurrence KW - Young athletes KW - Injury KW - Training volume Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-016-0064-7 SN - 2052-1847 VL - 8 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kopinski, Stephan A1 - Engel, Tilman A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Carlsohn, Anja A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Reliability of ultrasound measurements for subcutaneous adipose tissue in elite canoe athletes T2 - Medicine and science in sports and exercise : official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine Y1 - 2014 SN - 0195-9131 SN - 1530-0315 VL - 46 IS - 5 SP - 539 EP - 539 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - Philadelphia ER - TY - GEN A1 - Müller, Steffen A1 - Stoll, Josefine A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Trunk Muscle Activity during Drop Jump Performance in Adolescent Athletes with Back Pain N2 - In the context of back pain, great emphasis has been placed on the importance of trunk stability, especially in situations requiring compensation of repetitive, intense loading induced during high-performance activities, e.g., jumping or landing. This study aims to evaluate trunk muscle activity during drop jump in adolescent athletes with back pain (BP) compared to athletes without back pain (NBP). Eleven adolescent athletes suffering back pain (BP: m/f: n = 4/7; 15.9 ± 1.3 y; 176 ± 11 cm; 68 ± 11 kg; 12.4 ± 10.5 h/we training) and 11 matched athletes without back pain (NBP: m/f: n = 4/7; 15.5 ± 1.3 y; 174 ± 7 cm; 67 ± 8 kg; 14.9 ± 9.5 h/we training) were evaluated. Subjects conducted 3 drop jumps onto a force plate (ground reaction force). Bilateral 12-lead SEMG (surface Electromyography) was applied to assess trunk muscle activity. Ground contact time [ms], maximum vertical jump force [N], jump time [ms] and the jump performance index [m/s] were calculated for drop jumps. SEMG amplitudes (RMS: root mean square [%]) for all 12 single muscles were normalized to MIVC (maximum isometric voluntary contraction) and analyzed in 4 time windows (100 ms pre- and 200 ms post-initial ground contact, 100 ms pre- and 200 ms post-landing) as outcome variables. In addition, muscles were grouped and analyzed in ventral and dorsal muscles, as well as straight and transverse trunk muscles. Drop jump ground reaction force variables did not differ between NBP and BP (p > 0.05). Mm obliquus externus and internus abdominis presented higher SEMG amplitudes (1.3–1.9-fold) for BP (p < 0.05). Mm rectus abdominis, erector spinae thoracic/lumbar and latissimus dorsi did not differ (p > 0.05). The muscle group analysis over the whole jumping cycle showed statistically significantly higher SEMG amplitudes for BP in the ventral (p = 0.031) and transverse muscles (p = 0.020) compared to NBP. Higher activity of transverse, but not straight, trunk muscles might indicate a specific compensation strategy to support trunk stability in athletes with back pain during drop jumps. Therefore, exercises favoring the transverse trunk muscles could be recommended for back pain treatment. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 319 KW - SEMG-pattern KW - back pain KW - drop jump KW - neuromuscular KW - performance KW - pre-activity KW - trunk KW - young athletes Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-395261 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Bisi-Balogun, Adebisi A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Reliability of various measurement stations for determining plantar fascia thickness and echogenicity N2 - This study aimed to determine the relative and absolute reliability of ultrasound (US) measurements of the thickness and echogenicity of the plantar fascia (PF) at different measurement stations along its length using a standardized protocol. Twelve healthy subjects (24 feet) were enrolled. The PF was imaged in the longitudinal plane. Subjects were assessed twice to evaluate the intra-rater reliability. A quantitative evaluation of the thickness and echogenicity of the plantar fascia was performed using Image J, a digital image analysis and viewer software. A sonography evaluation of the thickness and echogenicity of the PF showed a high relative reliability with an Intra class correlation coefficient of 0.88 at all measurement stations. However, the measurement stations for both the PF thickness and echogenicity which showed the highest intraclass correlation coefficient (ICCs) did not have the highest absolute reliability. Compared to other measurement stations, measuring the PF thickness at 3 cm distal and the echogenicity at a region of interest 1 cm to 2 cm distal from its insertion at the medial calcaneal tubercle showed the highest absolute reliability with the least systematic bias and random error. Also, the reliability was higher using a mean of three measurements compared to one measurement. To reduce discrepancies in the interpretation of the thickness and echogenicity measurements of the PF, the absolute reliability of the different measurement stations should be considered in clinical practice and research rather than the relative reliability with the ICC. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 339 KW - plantar fascia KW - reliability KW - sonography KW - musculoskeletal Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-400615 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Carlsohn, Anja A1 - Scharhag-Rosenberger, Friederike A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Resting Metabolic Rate in Elite Rowers and Canoeists: Difference between Indirect Calorimetry and Prediction N2 - Background: Athletes may differ in their resting metabolic rate (RMR) from the general population. However, to estimate the RMR in athletes, prediction equations that have not been validated in athletes are often used. The purpose of this study was therefore to verify the applicability of commonly used RMR predictions for use in athletes. Methods: The RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry in 17 highly trained rowers and canoeists of the German national teams (BMI 24 ± 2 kg/m2, fat-free mass 69 ± 15 kg). In addition, the RMR was predicted using Cunningham (CUN) and Harris-Benedict (HB) equations. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was calculated to test for differences between predicted and measured RMR (α = 0.05). The root mean square percentage error (RMSPE) was calculated and the Bland-Altman procedure was used to quantify the bias for each prediction. Results: Prediction equations significantly underestimated the RMR in males (p < 0.001). The RMSPE was calculated to be 18.4% (CUN) and 20.9% (HB) in the entire group. The bias was 133 kcal/24 h for CUN and 202 kcal/24 h for HB. Conclusions: Predictions significantly underestimate the RMR in male heavyweight endurance athletes but not in females. In athletes with a high fat-free mass, prediction equations might therefore not be applicable to estimate energy requirements. Instead, measurement of the resting energy expenditure or specific prediction equations might be needed for the individual heavyweight athlete. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 329 KW - Energy requirement KW - Calorimetry KW - Fat-free mass KW - Nutritional counseling KW - Athletes Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-399837 ER -