Track and Field Injuries: Imaging Aspects

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Orthopedics
• Radiology

Background:

• Track and field (athletics) involves running, jumping, and throwing, posing significant injury risks, particularly for elite athletes undergoing intense training.
• Musculoskeletal injuries, especially lower extremity issues like muscle strains, ligament sprains, and bone stress injuries, are prevalent due to repetitive high-impact activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the epidemiology and typical injury patterns in track and field athletes across various disciplines.
• To emphasize the role of advanced imaging techniques, particularly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in diagnosing and managing these injuries.

Main Methods:

• This is a review article, synthesizing current knowledge on track and field injuries.
• It focuses on injury patterns specific to disciplines like sprinting, jumping, and throwing.
• The review highlights the diagnostic capabilities of advanced imaging, including MRI.

Main Results:

• Injury patterns in track and field are discipline-specific; foot and ankle injuries are common in sprinting/jumping, while shoulder/elbow injuries occur in throwing events.
• Lower extremity injuries, including muscle strains, ligament sprains, and bone stress injuries, are the most frequent.
• Advanced imaging, especially MRI, is crucial for accurate diagnosis, severity assessment, and treatment planning.

Conclusions:

• Understanding discipline-specific injury patterns is key for prevention and management in track and field.
• Magnetic resonance imaging is indispensable for the precise diagnosis and effective treatment of athletic injuries in track and field.
• This review provides valuable insights for clinicians and researchers on common track and field injuries and their imaging characteristics.