Muscle Fuel Rating - MFR
Overview
The ability to compare (rate) the energy status of a muscle with that of a much larger population is a valuable asset to the medical, fitness and wellness field. Prior to MuscleSound, this kind of measure had not been available outside an epidemiological research setting.
Muscle Fuel Rating is used to track and compare a muscle’s MuscleSound score with the scores of tens of thousands of other muscle images in our cloud-based ‘population’ of scans. Muscles are rated using a 5-point scale (very low, low, average, high, very high). This measure can be used in two ways.
- To help track behavioral or event driven muscle changes in an individual’s life over time
- To assess and track ‘what is possible’ for the Fuel Level of any given muscle.
To obtain a Rating, we find the median echo intensity for the same muscle and side scans in a single assessment. We then calculate the percentile of that echo intensity across entire scan population with similar ultrasound models and muscle locations within the scan. Repeating this process over time enables us to assess any comparative muscle improvements made.
Rationale for Fuel Rating
Fuel Rating enables us to provide more actionable information for a given muscle. For instance, one could have a ‘full tank’ in an individual muscle scan session, but that tank could be small in relation to the total MuscleSound population. If this situation occurred, it would signal that there is room for improvement, over time, for that particular muscle. Only by comparing MuscleSound scores in this way would we have any idea of ‘what is possible’ for a given individual's Fuel Tank. This is important information for any athlete.
Rating can be used
- to track effects of changes in behavior (vacation, traveling, etc.)
- to see the broader effects of an ‘event’ (injury, overtraining, etc.)
- to see the potential of ‘what is possible’ for how a muscle could score
- to provide information over time to help improve EFL
Procedure
1. Gather all images for each muscle and side in the assessment
2. Calculate the median raw score value of each muscle and side
3. Use the muscle, location of scoring region of these images, and ultrasound model for referencing
4. Determine a percentile for the current value in the range of scores for the MuscleSound scan population
The MuscleSound Population Used for Fuel Rating References
| Model | Muscle | Muscle Location | Subjects | Scans |
| Lumify | RF | 4mm-10mm | 4046 | 16084 |
| Lumify | GS | 2mm-6mm | 2355 | 9384 |
| Lumify | FF | 0mm-2mm | 786 | 2783 |
| Lumify | HL | 4mm-10mm | 695 | 2713 |
| Lumify | VL | 4mm-8mm | 725 | 3493 |
| Lumify | Other | 4mm-10mm | 923 | 5012 |
| Terason t3200 | RF | 4mm-10mm | 2042 | 7628 |
| Terason t3200 | GS | 2mm-8mm | 718 | 3239 |
| Terason t3200 | FF | 2mm-4mm | 165 | 357 |
| Terason t3200 | HL | 4mm-12mm | 141 | 531 |
| Terason t3200 | VL | 4mm-10mm | 390 | 1298 |
| Terason t3200 | Other | 2mm-6mm | 824 | 4008 |
| GE LogiqE | RF | 4mm-10mm | 190 | 759 |
| GE LogiqE | GS | 4mm | 17 | 31 |
| GE LogiqE | VL | 4mm-6mm | 41 | 131 |
| GE LogiqE | Other | 0mm-6mm | 11 | 78 |
For example, a Rectus Femoris muscle was just scanned using a Lumify ultrasound. The muscle is located at a depth of 8mm, and has a resulting Pixel Intensity (brightness) of 40. Using the same population group for that image we find that a 40 is in the 12th percentile.
