Can bone marrow edema be seen on STIR images of the ankle and foot after 1 week of running?

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether initiation of running in sedentary individuals would lead to bone marrow edema on MR images, within the time span of 1 week.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The feet of 10 healthy volunteers were imaged by MR imaging before and after running during 30 min a day for 1 week. The images were evaluated by consensus of 2 musculoskeletal radiologists who graded the presence of bone marrow edema on a 4-point scale. Edema scores and number of bones involved before and after running were compared statistically.

RESULTS: Edema was present on the baseline images in 3 subjects. After running edema showed an increase or was present in 5 subjects. The changes after running were statistically significant. Bones involved were the talus, calcaneus, navicular bone, cuboid bone, and 5th metatarsal.

CONCLUSION: Edema patterns can be seen in the feet of asymptomatic individuals. During initiation of running an increase of edema or development of new edema areas can be seen.