From Regional BIVA Analysis to Local BIVA assessment studies
The name of the technique is “muscle-localized BIVA“, ML-BIVA, and it is at the base of a research project that has brought together AKERN with the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia (INEFC) in Barcelona, the Creu Blanca Clinic and the SJD Campus docent, in Catalan territory.
Based on the hypothesis that localized vector analysis can detect minimal changes in the distribution of intra- and extracellular fluids in the muscle, the aim of the study is to evaluate the sensitivity of the ML-BIVA technique in detecting changes in the muscle following high-intensity exercise, using high-resolution MRI as a validation criterion.
Each group of athletes undergoes an intense training protocol and is evaluated on the same day and for the following 4 days with ML-BIVA, blood chemistry tests, and urine tests, as well as an anthropometric assessment. Each group also undergoes MRI-T2 (gold standard for muscle measurement) on day 1 and day 4.
The anatomic region targeted by ML-BIVA is the quadriceps. Electrode placement is on the proximal third middle and distal third, following SENIAM (Surface Electromyography for the Non-Invasive Assessment of Muscles) and ISAK (International Society for the Advancement of Kineanthropometry) guidelines in a well-described protocol.
Will the muscle-localized BIVA technique be able to assess qualitative changes in muscle, aimed at performance and prevention of muscle damage in sportsmen?
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