Background: Knowledge of normal muscle characteristics is crucial in planning rehabilitation programmes for\r\ninjured athletes. There is a high incidence of ankle and anterior tibial symptoms in football players, however little is\r\nknown about the effect of limb dominance on the anterior tibial muscle group (ATMG). The purpose of this study\r\nwas to assess the effect of limb dominance and sports-specific activity on ATMG thickness in Gaelic footballers and\r\nnon-football playing controls using ultrasound measurements, and to compare results from transverse and\r\nlongitudinal scans.\r\nMethods: Bilateral ultrasound scans were taken to assess the ATMG size in 10 Gaelic footballers and 10 sedentary\r\ncontrols (age range 18-25 yrs), using a previously published protocol. Both transverse and longitudinal images were\r\ntaken. Muscle thickness measurements were carried out blind to group and side of dominance, using the Image-J\r\nprogramme.\r\nResults: Muscle thickness on the dominant leg was significantly greater than the non-dominant leg in the\r\nfootballers with a mean difference of 7.3%, while there was no significant dominance effect in the controls (p <\r\n0.05). There was no significant difference between the measurements from transverse or longitudinal scans.\r\nConclusions: A significant dominance effect exists in ATMG size in this group of Gaelic footballers, likely\r\nattributable to the kicking action involved in the sport. This should be taken into account when rehabilitating\r\nfootballers with anterior tibial pathology. Ultrasound is a reliable tool to measure ATMG thickness, and\r\nmeasurement may be taken in transverse or longitudinal section.
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