Abstract

The soft tissues of the knee can be injured, swollen, or impinged due to the different movements and stress to which they are subjected. This can occur due to repetitive or strenuous activity, or due to anatomical predisposition during routine activities. Generally, patients present vague discomfort, without specific signs on physical examination. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a fundamental role in the study of impingement and friction syndromes in the knee, given its sensitivity in detec-ting inflammatory changes and its high tissue contrast, with the adipose tissue around the knee being the main affected. The friction and impingement syndromes around the knee can be classified by region (anterior, medial, posterior and lateral) and origin (intra or extracapsular). Signal alterations in MRI are usually similar in different conditions when adipose or connective tissue is altered, varying the anatomical site and the structures that surround it. The anatomical landmarks that allow its ade-quate characterization and diagnosis are described. A review of prepatellar friction syndrome, infrapatellar, suprapatellar and prefemoral adipose tissue impingement, superior and medial patellar plica impingement, posteromedial friction syndrome, osteo-meniscal impingement, pericruciate impingement, popliteal tendon and ilio-tibial band friction syndrome are included.