Physical activity reduces the risk of dying prematurely (1,2). Indeed, active persons are substantially less likely to experience coronary heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, diabetes mellitus, and feelings of depression and anxiety, compared with inactive persons (2). Although exercise does have proven health benefits, overzealous activity is a common cause of injuries to muscle that may result in pain and disability. Injuries to muscle account for 10percent-55percent of all injuries sustained in sports (3). Skeletal muscle is the single largest tissue in the body, generally making up 25percent-50percent of the total body weight (4). As radiologists, we image some of the approximately 434 muscles in the body each day--both intentionally and incidentally. In this chapter, we review two topics of practical importance to radiologists: (a) normal anatomic structure of muscle and (b) sports-related muscle injuries in athletes.
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