The Association of Anthropometric Measurements of Thigh Size and B-mode Ultrasound Scanning of Muscle Thickness.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the association between anthropometric measurements of thigh size and direct measurements of thigh muscle thickness using B-mode ultrasound scanning. Thirty-four male subjects with different exercise habits were tested. Their physical description was as follows: age 28.0 * 6.7 years, height 177.0 + 6.4 cm, weight 75.5 + 12.5 kg, lean body mass 65.6 * 8.4 kg, body fat 13.6 + 5.1%. Anthropometric measurements included skinfolds, girths, and segment volumes of th'e thigh. B-mode ultrasound scanning was performed on the one-third subischial(33% of the distance between the gluteal fold and the popliteal crease) anterior and posterior thigh. Anthropometric variables were more strongly correlated to the anterior versus posterior thigh musculature. The net (corrected for skinfold thickness) one-third subischial girth explained 77.7 and 52.6% of the variance in the muscle thickness of the anterior and posterior thigh, respectively. The results of this study indicate that net girth measurements of the thigh may be useful for estimating thigh muscle thickness. Adding other variables to the net one-third subischial girth with multiple correlation only increased R2 by less than 0.05. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1987;8(9):462-468.