MRI is a valuable tool for evaluation of the athlete with elbow pain, particularly in those with non localizable pain. MRI is also helpful in sorting out the cause of pain in athletes who may have acute trauma superimposed on tendinopathy or other chronic injuries from repetitive micro-trauma. Even in athletes in whom the cause of pain confidently can be diagnosed clinically, MRI can document the injury severity, which can be helpful for estimating recovery time or in preoperative planning.By contributing to an accurate early diagnosis, MRI can help minimize the time that athletes are away from their sports. There are some sports injuries in which the only imaging of the elbow that is necessary is a radiograph or CT. For many elbow injuries, however, MRI is preferred because of the superior soft tissue details allowing interpretation of the elbow related sports injuries involving osteochondral, ligaments, muscles and tendons or nerve structures.