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Does An MRI Show An Old Calf Strain? Leg Injury, MRI Shows Muscle Atrophy, Cannot Regain Strength

Posted on Sun, 8 Jul 2012

Question: Does an MRI show an old calf strain 20 years ago? I fell down a flight of cement stairs, my right leg twisted up behind me and the heel of my right foot, my calf took the blunt of my fall and my knee cap hit the stairs. I had an MRI of my calf, I was told it didn't show a torn muscle, however, the muscle shows atrophy and I can't regain strength

Answered by Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (14 minutes later)

Hi,

Thanks for your query.

MRI ( Magnetic resonance Imaging ) scan can show tears in the soft tissues like muscles , ligaments and joint capsules only when they are fresh and that can be evident in the scans when there is an inflammation surrounding the affected a tissue.The scan do not identify a tear which is 20years old unless there is a fibrous (scar) tissue mass grown as a result of faulty healing.

Long term untreated injuries in the muscles can end up in atrophy which may be due to restricted use of the same muscle due to pain or the deformity caused by the injury.The strength in the atrophied muscles will be less but can be regained to the comfort level by long term physiotherapy.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D