A novel 3D MRI-based approach for assessing supraspinatus muscle length.

Rotator cuff (RC) tears are a common source of pain and decreased shoulder strength. Muscle length is known to affect muscle strength, and therefore evaluating changes in supraspinatus muscle length associated with RC pathology, surgical repair, and post-operative recovery may provide insights into functional deficits. Our objective was to develop a reliable MRI-based approach for assessing supraspinatus muscle length.

Focused ultrasound as an alternative to dry needling for the treatment of tendinopathies: A murine model.

Tendinopathies account for 30% of 102 million annual musculoskeletal injuries occurring annually in the United States. Current treatments, like dry needling, induce microdamage to promote healing but produce mixed success rates. Previously, we showed focused ultrasound can noninvasively create microdamage while preserving mechanical properties in ex vivo murine tendons.

Movement compensation is driven by the deltoid and teres minor muscles following severe rotator cuff tear.

Background: Rotator cuff tears are common in older adults, negatively affecting function. Previous simulation-based studies reported more posterior and superior oriented glenohumeral loading with increased cuff tear severity and task performance, although corresponding muscle compensation strategies are unclear. Our objective is to determine how shoulder muscle forces change with increased rotator cuff tear severity during functional task performance.

Development of a more biofidelic musculoskeletal model with humeral head translation and glenohumeral ligaments.

Computational musculoskeletal modeling is useful for understanding upper extremity biomechanics, especially when tests are unfeasible. A musculoskeletal model of the upper limb with increased biofidelity was developed by including humeral head translation (HHT) and ligaments. The model was validated and ligament contribution and effect of shoulder (thoracohumeral) elevation on HHT was evaluated.

Therapeutic Ultrasound and Shockwave Therapy for Tendinopathy: A Narrative Review.

Tendon injury is prevalent and costly in the United States, comprising 45% of the 66 million musculoskeletal injuries and costing $114 billion annually. Surgical and therapeutic methods, such as arthroscopic surgery, dry needling, and physical therapy, produce mixed success in reintroducing a healing response in tendinopathy due in part to inconsistent dosing and monitoring. Ultrasound is one therapeutic modality that has been shown to noninvasively induce bioeffects in tendon that may help promote healing.

Automated Tissue Strain Calculations Using Harris Corner Detection.

The elastic modulus, or slope of the stress-strain curve, is an important metric for evaluating tissue functionality, particularly for load-bearing tissues such as tendon. The applied force can be tracked directly from a mechanical testing system and converted to stress using the tissue cross-sectional area; however, strain can only be calculated in post-processing by tracking tissue displacement from video collected during mechanical testing. Manual tracking of Verhoeff stain lines pre-marked on the tissue is time-consuming and highly dependent upon the user.

Effects of focused ultrasound and dry needling on tendon mechanical properties.

Tendon injuries are extremely common, resulting in mechanically weaker tendons that could lead to tendon rupture. Dry needling (DN) is widely used to manage pain and function after injury. However, DN is invasive and high inter-practitioner variability has led to mixed success rates.

Glenohumeral joint loading is impacted by rotator cuff tear severity during functional task performance.

Background: Rotator cuff tear is a common musculoskeletal injury, negatively affecting shoulder function. Rotator cuff tear severity ranges from small to massive tears, but it is unclear how tear severity affects glenohumeral joint loading and how changes contribute to secondary injury. This study's objective was to determine how glenohumeral joint contact force changes with tear severity during functional task performance using computational models.

Focused Ultrasound Mechanical Disruption of Ex Vivo Rat Tendon.

Around 30 million tendon injuries occur annually in the U.S. costing $ 114 billion.

Comparison between dry needling and focused ultrasound on the mechanical properties of the rat Achilles tendon: A pilot study.

In the U.S., approximately 14 million tendon and ligament injuries are reported each year.

Supplementation of Calcium and Fluoride-Free Water Mitigates Skeletal Fluorosis in Fluoride-Intoxicated Rats.

Fluorosis is a public health concern in 25 countries around the globe. The present study is about the mitigation of fluoride (F) toxicity by giving F-free water (FFW) and calcium (Ca). A study was conducted by taking 76 Wistar rats in two phases, phase I (6 months), where rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal-Ca diet (NCD) 0.

Muscle compensation strategies to maintain glenohumeral joint stability with increased rotator cuff tear severity: A simulation study.

Rotator cuff tear (RCT) in older adults may cause decreased muscle forces and disrupt the force balance at the glenohumeral joint, compromising joint stability. Our objective was to identify how increased RCT severity affects glenohumeral joint loading and muscle activation patterns using a computational model. Muscle volume measurements were used to scale a nominal upper limb model's peak isometric muscle forces to represent force-generating characteristics of an average older adult male.