Evaluation of Knee Pain in Athletes: A Radiologist's Perspective

Abstract

Lower limb injuries account for most of all injuries suffered by athletes and the knee joint accounts for over half of these. The etiology of knee pain is multifactorial; a good history focusing on the mechanism of injury and the chronicity of pain is extremely useful in correlating with radiologic findings and establishing a clinically meaningful diagnosis. This review article will discuss several important and common causes of acute and chronic knee pain in athletes, focusing on their mechanism of injury and site of pain as well as their salient imaging findings.