(ii) Shoulder and elbow imaging

The shoulder is a ball and socket joint, the stability of which is conferred predominantly by surrounding soft tissue. The majority of clinical symptoms in the shoulder are either instability related or impingement syndrome in the subacromial area.The elbow is a complex hinge joint with three individual articulations. It is surrounded by a number of tendons and, like the shoulder, joint stability is maintained by multiple ligaments. Trauma, tendinopathy and systemic diseases can affect the elbow joint.Imaging plays an invaluable role in patient management. The plain radiograph, although being a very useful baseline investigation having reasonable clinical use, has its limitations. The mainstay of shoulder and elbow imaging is US and MRI.The following article outlines common and slightly uncommon shoulder and elbow pathologies and their imaging appearances.