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MRI of Musculotendinous Injuries—Part I: “Non-strain” Injuries

  • Imaging of Sports Injuries (R Boutin, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Muscle injuries have been consequential since ancient times, but evaluation of such injuries entered a new era with the advent of MRI. The pace of muscle injury research has accelerated in recent years, with new insights on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. This article reviews the current highlights in our understanding of musculotendinous injuries diagnosed by MRI, particularly: (1) direct injuries and their sequelae (e.g., contusion, hematoma, heterotopic ossification, muscle herniation, and chronic exertional compartment syndrome); (2) characteristic manifestations of tensile injuries in children at the apophysis and adults at areas of tendinopathy; and (3) differential diagnostic considerations for abnormal signal intensity seen on MRI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University of California, Davis, 4860 Y St., Suite 3100, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA

    Robert Downey Boutin

  2. National Orthopedic Imaging Associates, 1260 South Eliseo Drive, Greenbrae, CA, 94904, USA

    Russell C. Fritz

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  1. Robert Downey Boutin
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Correspondence to Robert Downey Boutin.

Additional information

This article (“Part I”) provides an overview of musculotendinous injuries that are amenable to imaging, with a focus on “non-strain” injuries. In the accompanying companion article (“Part II”, doi: 10.1007/s40134-015-0109-9), we provide an in-depth update of musculotendinous strain injuries.

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Imaging of Sports Injuries.

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Boutin, R.D., Fritz, R.C. MRI of Musculotendinous Injuries—Part I: “Non-strain” Injuries. Curr Radiol Rep 3, 30 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40134-015-0108-x

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