Background: The knee is a hinge joint made up of the articulations between the femoral and tibial condyles and between the patella and the patellar surface of the femur. In recent decades, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has become the most important modality for assessment of pathologic changes in knee joint. One of the major advantages of MR imaging is that it highlights different tissue types. Aim of the Work: to elucidate the role of MRI cartilage mapping in evaluation of cartilaginous causes of painful knee joint. Patients and Methods: From June 2019 to July 2021, this pilot exploratory study was done to use axial or sagittal or coronal T2 mapping or all to visualize the articular cartilage of the knee on 3 T and 1.5 T MR Scanner using special advanced software to evaluate the effect of painful knee joint osteoarthritic changes on knee articular cartilage. Results: When comparing the overall Diagnostic indices of conventional MRI and T2 mapping, 90% cases were correctly diagnosed by conventional MRI and 98.3% cases were correctly diagnosed by T2 mapping. Conclusion: The addition of sagittal T2 maps to standard views improved accuracy in diagnosing cartilage affection in early osteoarthritic painful knee joint. This imaging plane seems to provide a useful addition to standard MR imaging when osteoarthritis is suspected as a cause of painful knee joint especially among the young population. It also provides an excellent screening tool for athletes. It provides a good monitoring tool for osteoarthritis process.