MSK ultrasound assessment of gluteus medius and minimus
Gluteus medius (Gmed) and gluteus minimus (Gmin) differ with regard to moment arms, muscle architecture and muscle composition; an indication for functional differences between the two main hip abductors and therefore possibly individually affected by pathology. A non-invasive, clinically relevant method for assessing superficial Gmed and also the deep Gmin muscle is MSK ultrasound. In a rehabilitative context, measurements of muscle thickness or of the change of thickness during activity are most commonly reported.
Muscle thickness can be measured by MSK ultrasound Brightness (B)-mode or by Motion (M)-mode. B-mode provides a 2-dimensional image of the scanned tissue section. M-mode provides a trace of the displacement of fasciae and perimysium over time. This study aimed to compare B-mode and M-mode baseline measurements of relaxed Gmed and Gmin thickness by three aspects of intra-tester reliability.
The investigation suggests a slight advantage for fascia recognition in B-mode and the advantage of visual control of muscle relaxation in M-mode. [ed.: Kiné Care (www.msk-ultrasound.com) suggests to use both B- and M-mode in clinical practice].
> From: Dieterich et al., Physiother Theory Pract 30 (2015) 438–443. All rights reserved to Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. Click here for the Pubmed summary.
