title: Comparison Between Neck and Shoulder Stiffness Determined by Shear Wave Ultrasound Elastography and a Muscle Hardness Meter.
abstract: The goals of this study were to compare neck and shoulder stiffness values determined by shear wave ultrasound elastography with those obtained with a muscle hardness meter and to verify the correspondence between objective and subjective stiffness in the neck and shoulder. Twenty-four young men and women participated in the study. Their neck and shoulder stiffness was determined at six sites. Before the start of the measurements, patients rated their present subjective symptoms of neck and shoulder stiffness on a 6-point verbal scale. At all measurement sites, the correlation coefficients between the values of muscle hardness indices determined by the muscle hardness meter and shear wave ultrasound elastography were not significant. Furthermore, individuals' subjective neck and shoulder stiffness did not correspond to their objective symptoms. These results suggest that the use of shear wave ultrasound elastography is essential to more precisely assess neck and shoulder stiffness.
authors.affiliation: College of Systems Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Saitama-shi, Saitama, Japan. Electronic address: rakagi12@sic.shibaura-it.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akagi
authors.affiliation: College of Systems Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Saitama-shi, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Saki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusama
mesh_terms: D055119:Elastic Modulus / Q000502:physiology; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006244:Hardness / Q000502:physiology; D006245:Hardness Tests / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012782:Shoulder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Levator scapulae muscle; Shear modulus; Splenius capitis muscle; Trapezius muscle