The role of trauma in the pathogenesis of the osteochondroses.

Compression fracture of the secondary centers of ossification is an important factor in the pathogenesis of Perthes' disease and osteochondrosis dissecans. Avulsion fracture produces osteochondrosis affecting the non-articular epiphyses, e.g., Osgood-Schlatter disease. Some of these injuries appear to be produced solely by repetitive trauma and others may represent pathologic insult to constitutionally vulnerable or revascularizing bone, e.g., the femoral head in Perthes' disease.