ABSTRACT
Athletic shoulder injuries are common. Impingement syndrome may be a result of congenital
or acquired variations in the coracoacromial arc, or may relate to underlying glenohumeral
instability. Instability may lead to pathology of the labrocapsular mechanism. Soft
tissue abnormalities resulting from both of these disorders can be diagnosed with
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Radiographically, occult fractures and disorders
of the tendons, ligaments, and muscles are easily diagnosed with MRI, as is suprascapular
nerve entrapment. Unlike plain film changes of osteolysis of the distal clavicle,
which occurs late in the disease, marrow changes are seen early with MRI.
KEYWORDS
MR imaging - shoulder - injuries
