The ankle packs a great deal into a small volume, and most of what goes wrong with it is tendon or ligament rather than bone. Read it loosely and you will report a sprain. Read it systematically and you will find the impingement, the peroneal split and the osteochondral lesion that explain why the patient is still in clinic.
This is our complete ankle MRI series, free to watch, in six parts.
1. Anatomy and protocols
The compartments, the ligament groups, and a sequence selection that answers the question asked.
2. Ankle sprain
The lateral ligament complex, grading injury usefully, and the associated findings that change management.
3. Impingement
Anterior, anterolateral and posterior impingement, including the os trigonum that is only sometimes the problem.
4. Achilles and plantar fascia
Tendinosis, partial and complete tears, the gap measurement surgeons want, and plantar fasciitis as it actually appears.
5. Flexor tendons
Tibialis posterior dysfunction and its stages, flexor hallucis longus, and the tarsal tunnel.
6. Peroneal and extensor tendons
Peroneal subluxation and split tears, and the retinaculum that holds it all together.
Where to go next
The rest of our musculoskeletal MRI teaching follows the same format: shoulder, lumbar spine, ankle and wrist. For trauma radiographs rather than MRI, see our red dot and x-ray interpretation page.
For structured case practice with feedback and a CPD certificate, the Boston MSK MRI Review covers the full MSK curriculum.
Radicon Institute of Radiology has taught radiology since 2017, with over ninety filmed tutorials and delegates across the UK, the Gulf and South Asia.
