Association between elastography-assessed muscle mechanical properties and high-speed dynamic performance

Clarifying the muscular factors that contribute to performance improvement can be beneficial for athletes and coaches. The present study examined the relationships between the resting muscle shear modulus and dynamic performance during the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) and explosive exercises. To this end, we measured the jump height during three types of vertical jumps (squat jump [SJ], countermovement jump [CMJ], and rebound jump [RJ]) and the multi-joint leg extension power at three velocities (low, moderate, and high) of 30 healthy women. Using ultrasound elastography, the resting shear modulus of the vastus lateralis was assessed in the sitting position as an index of passive muscle mechanical properties. The results showed that the shear modulus was positively correlated with RJ height and multi-joint leg extension power at moderate and high velocities (r = 0.435–0.563, P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between the shear modulus and SJ height, CMJ height, and multi-joint leg extension power at low velocity. Contact time (i.e. the time under force exertion against the ground) during RJ (161 ± 19 ms) was 19% of that during CMJ (869 ± 171 ms). The results suggest that passive muscle mechanical properties play an important role in high-speed SSCs and dynamic explosive performance.