Preface

The practice of radiology is largely that of the recognition of a wide variety of disorders, many of which require relatively superficial familiarity to diagnose accurately. In musculoskeletal radiology, the nature of what we study often hinges on specifics regarding how structures work, the manner in which they become dysfunctional, and finally how imaging studies reveal structural changes in injured states.

In this edition of Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology, the authors have provided an overview of just that: How musculoskeletal structures work. Our intention is not to provide a textbook of biomechanics, or a catalogue of injuries and syndromes, but to provide radiologists a summary of how major joints function as a background for the interpretation of diagnostic studies of the musculoskeletal system.

I would like to thank the editors and publishers of Seminars and the authors from the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for their time and expertise in this undertaking. In particular, I would like to thank Doug Robertson, M.D., Ph.D., for his ability to bridge clinical, anatomic, and biomechanical literature. His expertise in materials, engineering, and functional analysis has made these articles a foundation upon which we can all raise our field to a higher level.

Through a greater understanding of the mechanics and function of tissues we study, the role of imaging will grow to provide a means by which functional evaluation of individual musculoskeletal tissues and combined tissue structures, including entire joint complexes, can be made.