Too much of a good thing: overuse injuries of the knee

Overuse injuries constitute a distinct group of abnormalities arising from excessive stress, repeated microtrauma, inadequate injury repair, or pathologic motion of the knee. Chronic pain resulting from overuse injuries may progress to the point that the patient can no longer perform the inciting activity. MR image appearances of the more common overuse syndromes involving the soft tissues surrounding the knee are presented, pertinent anatomic features are reviewed, and the role of MR imaging in patient management in these disorders is discussed.