ABSTRACT
Muscle injury is common among athletes, and imaging is increasingly being used to
confirm injury, to assess its location, extent, and severity, and on occasion to make
inferences regarding prognosis and timing of return to sports. Ultrasound and magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) are accurate for diagnosis of acute injuries, but measurements
of the extent of injury (cross-sectional area and longitudinal extent of muscle injury
adjacent to the musculotendinous junction) have also been shown to correlate with
athlete prognosis and recovery time. Specifically, normal MRI studies shortly after
injury are associated with rapid (1- to 2-week) recovery and low risk of recurrent
injury. Abnormal muscle cross-sectional area >55% is associated with a convalescence
interval of >6 weeks, but larger measurements are not clearly associated with higher
recurrence risk. The clinical value of follow-up imaging before return to competition
is not established, but residual muscle abnormality is often present at this time.
KEYWORDS
Muscle injury - ultrasound - magnetic resonance imaging - prognosis - recurrent injury
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John P SlavotinekM.B.B.S.
Division of Medical Imaging, Flinders Medical Centre, Flinders Drive
Bedford Park 5042, South Australia, Australia
Email: john.slavotinek@flinders.edu.au
