What is commonly done first is a gross examination with india ink staining of the entire articular surface. If you perform a Google image search for "india ink articular cartilage" you can see a few pictures of the technique.
http://www.google.com/images?q=india+ink+articular+cartilage
Some of those images are a little overdone with the ink, but the india ink will help you localize the location of the lesions themselves (which will absorb the ink more readily and stain darkly). This will help you determine the area that you should section for your histology. You can also take a picture and then quantify the lesion size based on the amount of ink you see (with some curvilinear assumptions or corrections for the surface of the joint).
When I was doing these experiments, I was doing the india ink first on the fresh isolated joint first, then washing and fixing the specimen for future study. However, if you already have fixed your samples, you can still try on a fixed sample to see what the results are -- the osteoarthritic areas should still have a high permeability to the ink even after fixation versus healthy cartilage.
As for the best cutting plane, it's hard, but a sagittal section is standard and will be able to show the contour of the anatomy in an easy to understand image. As it appears you are working at a hospital, you may want to ask the hospital histologist or pathologist on what would be the best plane to use.
Dear Kenneth,
I really appreciate your answer. Thanks a lot.
Best regards,
Subhash
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