General orthopaedic surgeons must learn how to appropriately evaluate patients with soft-tissue masses who present at their office. Although the incidence of benign soft-tissue sarcomas substantially outnumbers that of malignant soft-tissue sarcomas, the mismanagement of soft-tissue tumors markedly increases a patient's morbidity. The appropriate use of imaging modalities helps general orthopaedic surgeons accurately diagnose a soft-tissue mass, initiate appropriate management of a soft-tissue mass, and gain a better understanding of which patients with soft-tissue lesions should be referred to an orthopaedic oncologist.