Purpose Understanding how obesity—a key risk factor for osteoarthritis—effects articular cartilage function is critical to understand OA pathoetiology. Cartilage, a biphasic material, supports vanishingly low friction coefficients in vivo, but is tribomechanically compromised by load-induced interstitial pressure/lubrication loss. To maintain tribomechanical function, cartilage must recover fluid lost to habitual/average conta...