The pathogenesis of osteochondrosis--a hypothesis

Osteochondrosis is a non-infectious syndrome manifested as failure of endochondral ossification that occurs in joint cartilage (articular cartilage-subarticular growth cartilage complex) and physis of long bones of growing animals and humans. The pathogenesis of osteochondrosis is poorly understood. It was hypothesized: 1) that the subarticular growth cartilage, where early lesions occur, is a biomechanically weaker tissue than the articular cartilage; and 2) that excessive mechanical stress added to the subarticular growth cartilage impairs normal function of matrix or chondrocytes of the tissue, and results in abnormal matrix destruction which involves proteinases.