Nice Weather Increases Sports Injuries

 

As the weather improves, physicians tend to see more sports-related trauma. MRI plays a crucial role in diagnosing injuries that appear normal on X-ray but are not healing with conservative therapy. It can be especially critical for athletes who should not resume a sport when they have an unresolved soft tissue injury, or to confirm a diagnosis prior to surgery. MRI frequently changes therapeutic management and can help patients avoid longer-term consequences such as osteoarthritis.

 

Dr. James McCabe, medical director for Magnetic Resonance Imaging at Community Radiology, comments, “With its excellent spatial resolution and visualization of soft tissue, MRI offers the ability to diagnose tears in the labrum, ligaments and tendons, as well as tendonitis and tenosynovitis (inflammation of the tendon sheath). It can also visualize stress fractures, masses and congenital anomalies such as coalition.”

 

While shoulder and knee injuries are the most frequent MRI musculoskeletal referrals, CRA also performs many exams of the foot/ankle, elbow, wrist/hand and hip.

 

Dr. Mukul Das, a CRA radiologist and chairman, Department of Radiology at Montgomery General Hospital, notes, “MRI often shows that the problem is not what was suspected on clinical examination. For example, in the ankle, patients referred to rule out a tendon tear may instead have a ganglion or osteochondral injury, which may change their management.” Common foot and ankle problems that can benefit from MRI include ligament tears, tendon abnormalities and stress fractures.

 

MR Arthrography (MRI that uses contrast injected directly into the joint) should be used:
 

    1.  in possible labral injuries of the shoulder and hip
 

    2.  with post-op pain to distinguish surgical changes from a second tear, usually in the shoulder and knee
 

    3.  to find minute tears, such as those in the wrist ligaments or triangular fibrocartilage complex
 

 

A 1.5 Tesla MRI provides superior visualization of musculoskeletal tissue, and is most critical when small joints are involved. In general, physicians should consider MR referral whenever pain is unresolved with conservative management about four weeks post trauma. For questions about a specific patient or clinical concern, please call 652-3016 (Ext.6) and ask to speak to the radiologist.