American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
For Immediate Release Apr 26, 2018

Using Ultrasound to Predict Future Injuries in Distance Runners

Ziva Petrin, MD presented a research abstract about using ultrasound as a possible injury prevention tool at the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

Injuries to the patellar and Achilles tendon are common in runners and the general public, and Dr. Petrin and a team from the University of Utah headed by Dr. Dan Cushman conducted research that found a brief, ultrasonographic evaluation may predict an increased risk of these injuries in athletes.

In the study, the team from the University of Utah scanned the Achilles and patellar tendons of distance runners one day prior to competing in a marathon or half-marathon race. One in every four runners had an abnormality in their tendons, and within three months of the race, those individuals were much more likely to suffer an injury than those without an irregular tendon.

Dr. Petrin notes that if a brief, non-invasive, radiation-free, portable ultrasound exam can be performed on runners, this could help develop injury prevention strategies for those with “high-risk” tendons, which could greatly reduce the number of injuries in the running community and the general public.

 “Emerging technologies, such as ultrasound elastography, which measures the stiffness of tendons, may also add to our ability to predict which tendons will progress to injury with running,” Dr. Petrin said.

About the AMSSM Annual Meeting: The 2018 conference brings more than 2,000 sports medicine physicians together from throughout the United States and around the world. The meeting theme is REACH: Reaching Up, Reaching Out, Reaching Ahead and explores the many ways AMSSM is leading the charge and shaping the future of sports medicine.

About the AMSSM: AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of more than 3,600 sports medicine physicians dedicated to education, research, advocacy and the care of athletes of all ages. The majority of AMSSM members are primary care physicians with fellowship training and added qualification in sports medicine who then combine their practice of sports medicine with their primary specialty. AMSSM includes members who specialize solely in non-surgical sports medicine and serve as team physicians at the youth level, NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS and NHL, as well as with Olympic and Paralympic teams. By nature of their training and experience, sports medicine physicians are ideally suited to provide comprehensive medical care for athletes, sports teams or active individuals who are simply looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. www.amssm.org