Overuse Injuries of the Knee

Overuse injuries are a common cause of morbidity in athletes. They occur after repetitive microtrauma, abnormal joint alignment, and poor training technique without appropriate time to heal. Overuse injuries are frequent in the knee joint because of the numerous attachment sites for lower limb musculature and tendons surrounding the joint. MR imaging is regarded as the noninvasive technique of choice for detection of internal derangements of the knee. This article describes the characteristic findings on MR of the common overuse injuries in the knee, including patellar tendinopathy, iliotibial band syndrome, cartilage disorders, medial plica syndrome, and bursitis.