Musculoskeletal (MSK) studies of bone and joint soft tissues have historically been a complex area of research partially due to complications associated with chronic pain. The CCIR and the MIR are successfully leading and collaborating in MSK studies involving injury, disease (e.g., osteoporosis & arthritis) and healing with various academic and industrial research teams, as well as, private foundations and federal organizations.   

Many diagnostic imaging techniques are applied in MSK studies, including MRI, MR arthrography, CT and bone scans.  These methods are used to identify and characterize specific symptomatic areas that hopefully correlate with clinical findings. One exciting area of research at WUSM focuses on sports-related injuries, drawing on experience obtained from investigation of a variety of athletes - pre-high school to the professional ranks.  The imaging component of these studies is performed and interpreted by radiologists in the Musculoskeletal Section of the Department of Radiology. Using these facilities, medical care is provided for the three major sports teams in St. Louis (the Rams, Cardinals, and Blues) by the Department of Orthopaedics. 

The CCIR serves to enhance MSK research by bringing together diverse clinical, experimental and computational techniques to address questions that would otherwise be impossible to investigate using a single, technical discipline.  The combination of the efforts from these multidisciplinary teams will hopefully lead to the ability to improve/predict outcomes for different treatments and rehabilitation leading to improved quality of life for people suffering from MSK-related problems.