Within long bones, there are growth plates which contain thin layers of cartilage that are responsible for bone growth. Eventually the growth plate will “close” by hardening into solid bone as the animal matures by a mineralization process. Osteochondrosis is the failure to convert growth cartilage into mineralized bone during the growing period. Cartilage that has not mineralized into bone is more susceptible to injury. An osteochondrotic lesion is retained cartilage on an otherwise mineralized bone, which can be a painful contributor to swine lameness.

The Crenshaw Lab at UW-Madison is investigating the use of an osteochondrotic model to test different dietary interventions to learn which treatments regress these lesions in a quicker, more cost-effective manner to prevent and reduce lameness in swine. Learn how the lab is using three-dimensional imaging to shed new light on the analysis of the progression or regression of osteochondrotic lesions in pigs.

Brittney Kokinos is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If you are interested in her research, please email her at kokinos@wisc.edu.