Wireless Ultrasound Offers Accurate muscle Assessment, Expanding Access for athletes and Clinicians
A new study from Michigan State University demonstrates that portable, wireless ultrasound devices can provide muscle measurements comparable to those obtained from traditional, hospital-grade ultrasound machines. This finding opens the door for more frequent and accessible muscle health assessments in athletic training and clinical settings.The research,published in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation,focused on evaluating the quadriceps - a key muscle group for knee stability and a common focus for injury monitoring and performance evaluation. Currently, standard ultrasound assessments rely on panoramic imaging, requiring bulky and expensive equipment typically found in specialized facilities. Wireless ultrasound probes offer a more affordable and portable alternative, but their ability to capture only a single image at a time raised questions about their accuracy.Researchers led by Matthew Harkey, senior author of the study, investigated whether measurements taken with a handheld wireless device could reliably align with those from a standard ultrasound machine. They assessed 29 female Division I athletes from soccer, volleyball, and field hockey, scanning each athlete’s quadriceps twice: once with a panoramic ultrasound and once with the wireless probe.
The standard ultrasound measured the entire quadriceps muscle area,while the wireless probe captured muscle thickness and quality (assessed through echo-intensity,or image brightness) from a single image. The team then compared the data from both methods.The results showed a strong correlation between muscle thickness measured by the wireless probe and overall muscle size resolute by the standard ultrasound. A moderate association was also found in how the two devices assessed muscle quality based on image brightness. This indicates that the wireless probes can reliably estimate muscle size, and provide a reasonable assessment of muscle quality, despite not offering a full panoramic view.
“This study helps lay the groundwork for using wireless ultrasound more widely in sports medicine,” explained study participant Jessica Tolzman.”We’re looking forward to seeing how it can support injury recovery and performance monitoring in the future.”
The portability of wireless ultrasound allows for real-time monitoring in diverse locations – on the sidelines during games, in athletic training rooms, or even during regular workouts – without disrupting an athlete’s routine. While the study focused specifically on the quadriceps in female Division I athletes,researchers acknowledge the need for further examination into other muscle groups and broader populations.
This research was supported by funding from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the Nike Sport Research Lab. The findings suggest that wireless ultrasound technology represents a significant step towards faster, more flexible, and accessible muscle health evaluations in both sports and clinical environments.
source: Michigan State University – https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2025/09/msu-study-finds-wireless-accessible-ultrasounds-are-accurate
Journal Reference: Tolzman, J. E., et al. (2025).Assessment of Quadriceps Muscle Characteristics in Female Division I Athletes: A Validation Study of Wireless Probes Against Standard Ultrasound Units. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2024-0356
