Whether your athletic passions drive you to the track, field, court or gym, the physical demands placed on your body – increased speed, force, shifts in movement, repetition, and/or direct impact with other people – amp up your endorphins, spirits and enjoyment of life – and also your risk of injury.
There are more than 7 million sports and recreation-related injuries in the US each year, ranging from sprains to bone fractures to concussions. Some are caused by blunt force trauma from direct contact with the ground, an object, or another person. Others are caused by strenuous, repetitive, or poorly-performed motions. Regardless of how an injury occurs, effective treatment and healing begins with the right diagnosis.
Understanding the type of injury directs the protocol needed to promote the fastest, most complete recovery, and may enable a prediction of when it will be safe to return to beloved activities without risking further injury. So, if you have suffered a sports or recreation injury that seems like anything more than a mild sprain, see your clinician as quickly as possible. In many cases, medical imaging is necessary to assess the injury, facilitate a fast recovery, and help prevent further – even permanent – damage.
What Is MSK Imaging?
Musculoskeletal imaging, or MSK, provides valuable information about the type, location and extent of a sports injury. RAO’s team of fellowship-trained radiologists specializes in MSK, meaning our doctors have additional years of training specifically in sports-related injuries, to accurately diagnose, assess, and, in some cases, assist in the treatment staging of fractures, sprains, tears, pulls, inflammation, overuse injuries and other issues. Not only can MSK imaging technologies deliver a rapid and accurate diagnosis, they can also help your referring clinician decide if surgery is necessary or a nonsurgical option will be adequate to get you back in action. MSK analysis can help determine the course and duration of physical therapy and other rehabilitation protocols. When applicable, imaging techniques can also be used to deliver targeted interventional procedures to help treat pain without surgery.
Types of MSK Imaging Tests
MSK imaging provides highly-detailed images of bones, discs, muscles, joints and nerves, as well as tendons, ligaments, cartilage and other connective tissues.
Your MSK subspecializing radiologist will examine all the details of your injury – how and when it occurred, what symptoms it produced, and the duration and severity of symptoms – to determine an appropriate diagnosis.
MSK imaging technologies include:
X-ray – The most common of all imaging procedures, x-ray is usually the first sports imaging technique ordered by your doctor because it is quick, noninvasive, requires no prep and provides immediate information about whether a fracture has occurred. It can also show problems like skeletal trauma, bone spurs and soft-tissue calcifications, which can produce pain and limit range of motion or function.
MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most sophisticated tools for diagnosing sports injuries, including muscle, tendon, ligament and other soft tissue injuries, as well as bone fractures, joint damage, nerve damage and head trauma. MRI uses a powerful magnet and radio frequencies to create multiple images that form a 3D-quality composite of the injured area for outstanding detail.
Ultrasound – Another radiation-free MSK technology is ultrasonography, which is used to diagnose more superficial injuries, such as soft tissue tears or strains, joint inflammation, excess fluid, tendonitis and bursitis. It provides real-time imaging of the injury, for quick analysis and progress-monitoring by your MSK radiologist.
Computed Tomography – CT has become so advanced in recent years that it is now being used in sports medicine to gather exceptional detail of fractures and deep or highly complex issues within joints. CT can help your radiologist discover the nature of injuries that once delayed or even eluded diagnosis.
Whenever necessary, RAO’s MSK subspecializing radiologists can work directly with your orthopedist, surgeon or other provider to help develop a fast, safe path to healing with a reduced risk of chronic disorder or reinjury, so you can get back to the sports and activities you love.
