Andrade Ricardo J, Nordez Antoine, Hug François, Ates Filiz, Coppieters Michel W, Pezarat-Correia Pedro, Freitas Sandro R
EA 4334, Laboratory "Movement, Interactions, Performance", University of Nantes, UFR STAPS, Nantes, France; Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, CIPER, P-1100 Lisbon, Portugal.
EA 4334, Laboratory "Movement, Interactions, Performance", University of Nantes, UFR STAPS, Nantes, France.
J Biomech. 2016 Feb 8;49(3):326-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.12.017. Epub 2015 Dec 18.
Peripheral nerves are exposed to mechanical stress during movement. However the in vivo mechanical properties of nerves remain largely unexplored. The primary aim of this study was to characterize the effect of passive dorsiflexion on sciatic nerve shear wave velocity (an index of stiffness) when the knee was in 90° flexion (knee 90°) or extended (knee 180°). The secondary aim was to determine the effect of five repeated dorsiflexions on the nerve shear wave velocity. Nine healthy participants were tested. The repeatability of sciatic nerve shear wave velocity was good for both knee 90° and knee 180° (ICCs ≥ 0.92, CVs ≤ 8.1%). The shear wave velocity of the sciatic nerve significantly increased (p<0.0001) during dorsiflexion when the knee was extended (knee 180°), but no changes were observed when the knee was flexed (90°). The shear wave velocity-angle relationship displayed a hysteresis for knee 180°. Although there was a tendency for the nerve shear wave velocity to decrease throughout the repetition of the five ankle dorsiflexions, the level of significance was not reached (p=0.055). These results demonstrate that the sciatic nerve stiffness can be non-invasively assessed during passive movements. In addition, the results highlight the importance of considering both the knee and the ankle position for clinical and biomechanical assessment of the sciatic nerve. This non-invasive technique offers new perspectives to provide new insights into nerve mechanics in both healthy and clinical populations (e.g., specific peripheral neuropathies).
在运动过程中，周围神经会受到机械应力。然而，神经的体内机械特性在很大程度上仍未被探索。本研究的主要目的是在膝关节处于90°屈曲（屈膝90°）或伸展（屈膝180°）时，表征被动背屈对坐骨神经剪切波速度（一种刚度指标）的影响。次要目的是确定五次重复背屈对神经剪切波速度的影响。对九名健康参与者进行了测试。坐骨神经剪切波速度在屈膝90°和屈膝180°时的重复性都很好（组内相关系数≥0.92，变异系数≤8.1%）。当膝关节伸展（屈膝180°）时，背屈过程中坐骨神经的剪切波速度显著增加（p<0.0001），但当膝关节屈曲（90°）时未观察到变化。对于屈膝180°，剪切波速度-角度关系呈现滞后现象。尽管在五次踝关节背屈的重复过程中，神经剪切波速度有下降的趋势，但未达到显著水平（p=0.055）。这些结果表明，在被动运动过程中可以无创地评估坐骨神经的刚度。此外，结果强调了在对坐骨神经进行临床和生物力学评估时考虑膝关节和踝关节位置的重要性。这种无创技术为深入了解健康人群和临床人群（如特定的周围神经病变）的神经力学提供了新的视角。
