Assessment of the effects of direct myofascial release in the lateral gastrocnemius muscle of tennis athletes using ShearWave™ elastography

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to utilize ShearWave™ Elastography to assess tissue stiffness by measuring shear wave speed before and after applying the direct Myofascial release (MFR) technique to the lateral gastrocnemius muscle of competitive tennis athletes.

Methods: Shear wave speed values were measured in the regions of interest within the lateral gastrocnemius fascia and muscle areas from the elastographic images. Measurements were taken in three different situations: before, immediately after and 5 min after MFR protocol. Subsequently, the results from each situation were statistically compared.

Results: The protocol was administered to a group of eighteen tennis players with a mean age of 18 ± 1.23 years. The shear wave speed values increased for both fascia and muscles sites, after applying the MFR technique: From 3.01 ± 0.64 to 3.33 ± 0.86 m/s in the deep fascia and from 2.23 ± 0.41 to 2.57 ± 0.51 m/s in superficial fascia. In the deep and superficial muscles sites the increases were from 4.12 ± 0.95 to 4.40 ± 1.22 m/s, and from 2.94 ± 0.71 to 3.38 ± 0.95 m/s, respectively.

Conclusion: This study showed that after the myofascial manipulation in tennis athletes, the lateral gastrocnemius muscle and fascia tissues stiffness increased, according to elastography, and possible mechanisms were discussed. ShearWave™ Elastography could be utilized to assess the acute effects of applying a direct myofascial release (MFR) technique.