Consolidating the material stiffness-dependent effects of both RhoA/ROCK and YAP on CH phenotype, we suggest that the effects of a direct ROCK–SOX9 interaction define CH phenotype at sub-chondrogenic and chondrogenic stiffnesses, whereas not only the stress fiber-inducing effects of ROCK but also the increased YAP expression and nuclear accumulation subsequently define the degenerative CH phenotype at supra-chondrogenic stiffnesses (see Figure 5). Here, YAP1 is linked to cyclic hematopoiesis.