Rectus femoris muscle overload: what do we expect to find in ultrasound?
Rectus femoris muscle injuries are very common in sports activities, and ultrasound is a highly sensitive tool for diagnosing them.
Based on the ultrasound criteria described in the previous publication, both in static images and in dynamic studies, to diagnose rectus femoris muscle overload, the following must be observed:
A) Static ultrasound:
A1.- In the axial image, an increase in “tension” of the indirect tendon is observed, characterized by an almost perpendicular orientation instead of its normal coma morphology.
A2.- In the longitudinal plane, the pennation angle increases compared to the contralateral muscle without alteration of the typical fibrillar pattern.
B) Dynamic ultrasound:
B1.- A lesser muscle deformity is seen on sonocompression with the transducer associated with a greater muscle tone on “sonopalpation”.
B2.- There is little muscle mobility during isometric contraction, significantly less than the opposite side and with minimal increase in its anteroposterior diameter.