Why people bring their elbow scan here
A lot of the elbows that end up here have been aching on the outside for well over a year — braced, rested, rebraced — with no clear turning point. Others arrive holding a radiology report full of language nobody explained out loud, phrases like “common extensor intrasubstance tearing with adjacent LUCL attenuation” that mean something specific but were never translated into plain terms before the patient was sent home.
Throwers show up too — a pitcher, a javelin thrower, a college volleyball setter — wanting to know whether an elbow that feels loose after every outing hides a partial ulnar collateral ligament tear or just overuse soreness rest will settle. Reading that from an MRI report full of grading language is close to impossible without a hand surgeon in the room, and referral queues for upper-limb clinics commonly run months. This site exists to close that gap: upload the imaging you already have and get a same-day plain-language walkthrough while you wait for the real appointment.
What the elbow analysis actually looks at
The panel reads elbow MRI, elbow X-ray, and elbow CT — whichever your clinic sent home with you. On the lateral side it checks the common extensor origin for the tendinosis and partial tearing behind lateral epicondylitis, and it looks at the lateral ulnar collateral ligament, since LUCL attenuation alongside extensor damage is the combination that raises a flag for posterolateral rotatory instability rather than plain tennis elbow. On the medial side it examines the common flexor-pronator origin for golfer's elbow changes and follows the ulnar collateral ligament down to its sublime tubercle attachment, the spot where throwing athletes tear it.
It traces the distal biceps tendon for rupture and retraction from the radial tuberosity, checks the triceps insertion, and follows the ulnar nerve through the cubital tunnel for the changes behind pins-and-needles in the ring and little fingers. On the bone side it looks for capitellar osteochondritis dissecans, radial head and olecranon fractures, coronoid fractures and the terrible-triad pattern, loose bodies, olecranon bursitis, a fat-pad-sign effusion, and post-traumatic stiffness or heterotopic ossification. The report spells out which tendon or ligament is involved, what grading words like “partial-thickness” mean, and what elbow care typically does next — bracing and physical therapy, a platelet-rich plasma injection, or a surgical referral.
Who ends up uploading an elbow scan here
Tennis and pickleball players and pitchers with lateral or medial pain that never fully calms down between sessions. Weightlifters who felt a sudden pop at the front of the elbow mid-lift and now have a visible gap or a “Popeye” bulge in the upper arm. Manual workers — mechanics, plumbers, hygienists — whose grip strength has quietly dropped along with the ache on the outside of the elbow. People noticing numbness or tingling that runs into the ring and little fingers, worse when the elbow stays bent for a while, like driving or sleeping. And adults who fell onto an outstretched hand, still can't straighten the elbow fully, and were sent home with an X-ray report that read as “no fracture” even though something still feels wrong inside the joint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can AI tell if my UCL is torn on an elbow MRI?
The panel can flag ulnar collateral ligament thickening, T-sign fluid, or a clear discontinuity near the sublime tubercle and explain what the report's wording means. It cannot grade a partial tear with surgical certainty — that call, and whether a throwing athlete needs a UCL reconstruction, belongs to an orthopedic surgeon who has examined the elbow directly.
Is tennis elbow visible on imaging?
Yes on MRI — thickening, intrasubstance signal, and tearing at the common extensor origin near the lateral epicondyle show up clearly on fat-suppressed sequences. Plain X-ray usually looks normal in tennis elbow because it shows bone, not tendon, so a normal elbow X-ray does not rule it out.
What is the fat pad sign on an elbow X-ray?
It is a triangle of fat pushed outward and made visible by fluid or blood inside the joint capsule, most often after trauma. A posterior fat pad sign in particular is a strong indirect clue that there is a fracture somewhere around the elbow even when no fracture line is visible yet, which is why it often changes how a fall is managed.
Can it read an elbow X-ray as well as an MRI?
It reads both, but they show different things. X-ray is what the panel uses for fractures of the radial head, olecranon, and coronoid, joint alignment, loose bodies, and the fat pad sign. Tendons, the UCL and LUCL, and the ulnar nerve only show properly on MRI, so an X-ray-only elbow analysis will not comment on soft tissue it cannot see.
Will it tell me whether I need elbow surgery?
No. It explains what the imaging shows and what that kind of finding commonly leads to in elbow care, but the decision between bracing, injection, therapy, or surgical repair depends on your function, your goals, and an in-person exam by an upper-limb surgeon.
Does my elbow scan get uploaded anywhere?
Your raw DICOM files or PDF report are parsed and rendered entirely in your browser. Only the rendered images that you choose to submit for analysis are sent onward — the original files never leave your device.
Before you rely on this
This tool explains elbow imaging in plain language; it does not diagnose, and it does not replace a radiologist's report or an in-person visit with an upper-limb surgeon or physiotherapist. Some situations need attention sooner than an AI summary can offer: an obviously deformed or locked elbow after an injury, a sudden inability to bend the elbow against resistance, spreading redness and fever over the point of the elbow, or numbness in the hand that keeps getting worse. Any of those calls for a clinician now, not a scan upload later. Whatever you upload, your original files stay in your browser the whole time — only the rendered images you approve are sent out for the analysis itself.