Objectives • To define the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in early evaluation of painful hip joints. • To establish a differential diagnosis of the various painful hip joint conditions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). • To assess the severity and extent of the underlying lesion in various conditions of painful hip joint. Materials and Methods • This prospective observational study was carried out over Period of one year in the Department of Radio-Diagnosis, Government Medical College, and associated hospitals Srinagar All patients referred to the Department of Radio-Diagnosis from outpatient department (OPD), in-patient wards or Emergency section with clinically suspected acute or chronic painful hip disorders were included the study. Patients with history of acute trauma were excluded. An adequate history was elicited, followed by a focused clinical examination. All the cases were done on Siemens Magneton Symphony 1.5 tesla (Siemens Healthcare, Germany), Results: among 50 patients of painful hip pathology, 47 (94%) patients were diagnosed accurately by Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI) and three pathologies were diagnosed incorrectly. Among these pathologies, one was Transient osteoporosis, second lesion was osteoid osteoma of femoral head, third lesion was septic arthritis Conclusion: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hip joint is a rapid, non- invasive, non- ionizing and accurate diagnostic imaging modality for the assessment of hip pain and sufficient imaging modality for delineation of different hip joint pathology.