Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Ultrasound assessment of the lower body typically encompasses 10-15 minutes of supine rest prior to examination because of the potential influence of gravitational fluid shifts on tissue size and composition. However, examination of the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle requires individuals to lay in the lateral recumbent position, and this change in position may influence muscle morphological characteristics and their ability to predict muscle function. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of rest position on ultrasound-derived morphological characteristics of the VL and to determine whether or not rest position affects the relationships between muscle morphological characteristics of the VL and lower-body force and power production. METHODS: Thirty-one resistance-trained males (age: 23.0 ± 2.1 years; height: 1.79 ± 0.08 m; body mass: 87.4 ± 11.7 kg) participated in this investigation. Muscle morphological characteristics, including cross-sectional area (CSA), muscle thickness (MT), pennation angle (PA), echo intensity (UnCorEI), subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness (SFT), and EI corrected for SFT (CorEI) of the VL were assessed in the dominant limb after 15 minutes of rest in 3 recumbent positions: supine (SUP), dominant lateral recumbent (DLR), non-dominant lateral recumbent (NDLR), as well as after 15 minutes of standing (ST) and immediately after laying down (IP). Following ultrasound assessments, participants completed unilateral performance assessments, including vertical jumps (UVJ), isometric/isokinetic testing, and a 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) leg press. RESULTS: A repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed significantly different (p < 0.05) CSA, MT, PA, UnCorEI, and SFT in ST compared to recumbent positions after 15 minutes of rest (NDLR, DLR, and SUP). Additionally, significant differences were observed between recumbent positions for CSA, CorEI, and UnCorEI; however, no differences were observed for MT, PA, and SFT. Different magnitudes of relationships were observed between muscle morphological characteristics measured after rest in different positions and performance variables. However, muscle morphology after IP generally appears to be the best predictor of performance for most variables, although utilizing the NDLR and DLR positions may provide comparable, or potentially stronger results for variables such as IsokPF. The relationship between muscle morphology and various performance variables in ST were weaker compared to the recumbent positions examined, specifically for IsokPF, 1-RM leg press, and for all UVJ variables, except total work. CONCLUSIONS: Muscle morphology differs depending on the rest position utilized prior to ultrasound analysis. These rest positions also affect the ability for muscle morphology to predict lower-body force production. Future research should consider evaluation of muscle morphology of the VL after IP in the prediction of muscle function; however, NDLR and DLR may also be used. SUP and ST provide significantly weaker relationships for some performance variables compared to the other recumbent positions.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2019

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Wells, Adam

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Learning Sciences and Educational Research

Degree Program

Education; Exercise Physiology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0007550

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0007550

Language

English

Release Date

May 2019

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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