The anterior band of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is commonly subjected to repetitive stress in overhead-throwing athletes, causing high subfailure strain and change in mechanical properties of the ligament. Understanding the change in UCL mechanical properties after repetitive loading can help to evaluate the health status of UCL. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in UCL shear modulus in overhead-throwing, Division I college-level athletes over the course of a competitive season using ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE). The proposed protocol quantified changes in shear modulus of UCL in 17 baseball players at preseason and season-end time points as well as in five football quarterbacks at preseason, midseason, and season-end time points. The highest shear modulus values were obtained in the nondominant arm at preseason time points in both groups of athletes. The average UCL shear modulus at the season-end decreased by 39.35% and 37.96% compared to the preseason values in dominant and nondominant arms, respectively. This study shows that SWE could quantify changes in the shear modulus of the UCL after repetitive loading, suggesting that it could be a useful clinical tool for evaluating the risk of UCL injury. Further research on injured overhead-throwing athletes is warranted.
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November 2018
Research-Article
Evaluating Changes in Shear Modulus of Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament in Overhead Throwing Athletes Over the Course of a Competitive Season
Seyedali Sadeghi,
Seyedali Sadeghi
Department of Mechanical and
Nuclear Engineering,
College of Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
State College, PA 16802
e-mail: sus653@psu.edu
Nuclear Engineering,
College of Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
State College, PA 16802
e-mail: sus653@psu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Che-Yu Lin,
Che-Yu Lin
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
e-mail: d97543011@ntu.edu.tw
University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
e-mail: d97543011@ntu.edu.tw
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Dov A. Bader,
Dov A. Bader
Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation,
Penn State College of Medicine,
University Park, PA 16802
e-mail: dbader@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
Penn State College of Medicine,
University Park, PA 16802
e-mail: dbader@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
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Daniel H. Cortes
Daniel H. Cortes
Department of Mechanical and
Nuclear Engineering,
College of Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
State College, PA 16802;
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA 16802
e-mail: dhc13@psu.edu
Nuclear Engineering,
College of Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
State College, PA 16802;
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA 16802
e-mail: dhc13@psu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Seyedali Sadeghi
Department of Mechanical and
Nuclear Engineering,
College of Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
State College, PA 16802
e-mail: sus653@psu.edu
Nuclear Engineering,
College of Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
State College, PA 16802
e-mail: sus653@psu.edu
Che-Yu Lin
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
e-mail: d97543011@ntu.edu.tw
University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
e-mail: d97543011@ntu.edu.tw
Dov A. Bader
Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation,
Penn State College of Medicine,
University Park, PA 16802
e-mail: dbader@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
Penn State College of Medicine,
University Park, PA 16802
e-mail: dbader@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
Daniel H. Cortes
Department of Mechanical and
Nuclear Engineering,
College of Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
State College, PA 16802;
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA 16802
e-mail: dhc13@psu.edu
Nuclear Engineering,
College of Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
State College, PA 16802;
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
The Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA 16802
e-mail: dhc13@psu.edu
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received July 25, 2018; final manuscript received September 11, 2018; published online October 1, 2018. Assoc. Editor: Azra Alizad.
ASME J of Medical Diagnostics. Nov 2018, 1(4): 041008 (6 pages)
Published Online: October 1, 2018
Article history
Received:
July 25, 2018
Revised:
September 11, 2018
Citation
Sadeghi, S., Lin, C., Bader, D. A., and Cortes, D. H. (October 1, 2018). "Evaluating Changes in Shear Modulus of Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament in Overhead Throwing Athletes Over the Course of a Competitive Season." ASME. ASME J of Medical Diagnostics. November 2018; 1(4): 041008. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4041503
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