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MRI appearance of jogger’s foot

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Abstract

Objective

To characterize the MRI findings present in patients with clinically proven or suspected jogger’s foot.

Materials and methods

Ten years of medical charts in patients clinically suspected of having jogger’s foot and who had MRI studies completed were identified utilizing a computer database search. Six study cases were identified. The MRI examinations of the study cases and an age- and gender-matched control group were reviewed in a blinded fashion by two musculoskeletal radiologists. Size and signal intensity of the medial plantar nerve were measured and characterized. The medial foot musculature was assessed for acute or chronic denervation changes.

Results

The medial plantar nerve was found to have moderately increased T2 signal compared with normal skeletal muscle in 3/6 study group cases and markedly increased T2 signal in the remaining 3/6 cases. In all control cases, the nerve was reported to have T2 signal equal or minimally higher than normal skeletal muscle. The mean total size of the medial plantar nerve was significantly larger in the study group when compared with that in the control group at all measured locations (p < 0.04).

Conclusions

Abnormal thickness and T2 hyperintensity of the medial plantar nerve centered at the master knot of Henry are characteristic MRI findings in patients with jogger’s foot when compared with control subjects. Muscular denervation changes may also be seen, most commonly in the flexor hallucis brevis muscle.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Lanzino, Desiree J., Ph.D., P.T. for her help in editing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St. SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Mark S. Collins, Christin A. Tiegs-Heiden & Matthew A. Frick

Authors
  1. Mark S. Collins
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  2. Christin A. Tiegs-Heiden
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  3. Matthew A. Frick
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark S. Collins.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Collins, M.S., Tiegs-Heiden, C.A. & Frick, M.A. MRI appearance of jogger’s foot. Skeletal Radiol 49, 1957–1963 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-020-03494-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-020-03494-w

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