Effects of passive muscle stiffness measured by Shear Wave Elastography, muscle thickness, and body mass index on athletic performance in adolescent female basketball players.

Abstract

Athletic performance in basketball comprises the contributions of anaerobic and aerobic performance. The aim wasto investigate the effects of passive muscle stiffness, using shear wave elastography (SWE), as well as muscle thickness, andbody mass index (BMI), on both aerobic and anaerobic performances in adolescent female basketball players.Material andmethods: Anaerobic and aerobic (VO2max) performance was assessed using the vertical jump and shuttle run tests, respectively,in 24 volunteer adolescent female basketball players. Passive muscle stiffness of the rectus femoris (RF), gastrocnemiusmedialis (GM), gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) and soleus muscles were measured by SWE, and the thickness of each musclewas assessed by gray scale ultrasound. The BMI of each participant was also calculated. The relationship between verticaljump and VO2max values, and those of muscle stiffness, thickness, and BMI were investigated via Pearson's correlation andmultivariate linear regression analysis. No significant correlation was observed between muscle stiffness and VO2maxor vertical jump (p>0.05). There was significant negative correlation between GL thickness and VO2max (p=0.026), and soleusthickness and VO2max (p=0.046). There was also a significant negative correlation between BMI and VO2max (p=0.001).Conclusions: This preliminary work can be a reference for future research. Although our article indicates that passive musclestiffness measured by SWE is not directly related to athletic performance, future comprehensive studies should be performedin order to illuminate the complex nature of muscles. The maintenance of lower muscle thickness and optimal BMI may beassociated with better aerobic performance.