Monitoring changes of the muscles around the knee joint in amateur marathon athletes using synthetic MRI: a preliminary study

To investigate the value of synthetic MRI sequences for quantitative detection of the muscles around the knee joints before and after a marathon. Marathon runners were examined with Synthetic MRI sequences of both knees. Quantitative profiles of T1, T2, and PD were obtained after scanning. The differences in T1, T2, and PD values of each muscle were analyzed. Most muscle subregions had elevated T1, T2, and PD values 48 hours after the marathon compared to pre-race, and decreased after 1 month of post-race rest. The synthetic MRI sequences can be useful for detecting dynamic changes in the knee muscles.