Soda Naoki, Fujihashi Yuichiro, Aoki Takaaki
Department of Rehabilitation, Major in Physical Therapy, Heisei College of Health Sciences, Japan.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.
J Phys Ther Sci. 2016 Mar;28(3):979-82. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.979. Epub 2016 Mar 31.
[Purpose] The aim of this study was to use ultrasound imaging equipment for in vivo observation of the popliteus muscle thickness during rest and exercise to examine its functional characteristics and to establish a training method for this muscle. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects included 30 healthy adults (15 men and 15 women). The measurement tasks, consisting of isometric knee flexion and extension and internal rotation of the lower leg were performed in an arbitrary order. The popliteus muscle thickness was measured using an ultrasound. [Results] The popliteus muscle thickness significantly increased in the internal rotation in 27 subjects (90%), whereas, it remained unchanged in the remaining three subjects (10%). [Conclusion] This study differed from most of the previous studies because it involved in vivo observation of the popliteus muscle. We found that ultrasound was an effective method for the measurement of popliteus muscle thickness. The results suggest that internal rotation of the lower leg is the most effective exercise for working the popliteus muscle.
[目的] 本研究旨在使用超声成像设备对腘肌在休息和运动时的厚度进行体内观察，以检查其功能特性，并建立针对该肌肉的训练方法。[对象与方法] 对象包括30名健康成年人（15名男性和15名女性）。测量任务包括等长屈膝、伸膝和小腿内旋，以任意顺序进行。使用超声测量腘肌厚度。[结果] 27名受试者（90%）在小腿内旋时腘肌厚度显著增加，而其余3名受试者（10%）腘肌厚度保持不变。[结论] 本研究与大多数先前研究不同，因为它涉及对腘肌的体内观察。我们发现超声是测量腘肌厚度的有效方法。结果表明，小腿内旋是锻炼腘肌最有效的运动。
