--- a
+++ b/CLI/MusculoskeletalAnalysisCLITools/reader.py
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+"""Converts slicer image and segmentation volumes into numpy format."""
+
+
+def readImg(inputImg):
+    """Reads an image file as input, returns the image as a numpy array."""
+    import SimpleITK as sitk
+
+    imgReader = sitk.ImageFileReader()
+    imgReader.SetFileName(inputImg)
+    image = imgReader.Execute()
+    image = sitk.DICOMOrient(image, 'SPL')
+    imgData = sitk.GetArrayFromImage(image)
+    return imgData
+
+
+def readMask(inputMask):
+    """Reads an nrrd file as input, returns the image as a binary numpy array."""
+    from nrrd import read
+
+    maskReader = read(inputMask)
+    maskHeader = maskReader[1:]
+    maskData = maskReader[0].astype('bool')
+    return maskHeader, maskData