Editorial: Advances in musculoskeletal imaging

Musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, bone fractures, osteoporosis, or ligament injuries are highly prevalent conditions affecting muscles, bones, joints, and adjacent connective tissues. In 2020, they affected over 1.63 billion people worldwide (GBD 2021 Other Musculoskeletal Disorders Collaborators, 2023). Musculoskeletal disorders cause various symptoms such as pain and mobility limitations, and they have a tremendous impact on the quality of life of an individual imposing a large economic burden to a society (Liu et al., 2022;Parto et al., 2023). The underlying pathophysiological processes and clinical manifestations vary depending on the affected tissue and specific disorder.Imaging provides visualization of the anatomy and physiological processes of the body and plays an important role in the diagnostics of musculoskeletal disorders both in clinical practice and research. Conventional radiography and computed tomography (CT) are usually used to assess changes in the mineralized tissues, such as subchondral bones, whereas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is best suited for assessing changes in the soft tissues, for example damage in tendons, ligaments, menisci, and cartilage. Novel imaging, image processing, and image analysis techniques have a great potential to enable earlier diagnosis and deeper understanding of musculoskeletal disorders and pathophysiological processes related to them (Kijowski and Fritz 2023) The aim of this Research Topic was to collect articles showcasing applications of novel and innovative imaging, image processing, and image analysis techniques for assessing musculoskeletal disorders and the underlying pathophysiological processes. Although musculoskeletal conditions can affect various joints, and no specific restrictions were placed on this research topic, the articles included in this research topic focused on disorders involving the spine, spinal joints, and associated muscles.