The cause of osteochondritis dissecans is unknown. Various hypotheses suggest mechanical, ischemic, and hereditary causes. We describe a 13-year-old girl with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, who had an associated crouch gait and presented with bilateral osteochondral defects of the medial and lateral femoral condyles.
This case highlights the potential role of repetitive microtrauma, likely due to the poor biomechanical forces in a crouch gait, and provides support for a mechanical cause of osteochondritis dissecans.