C. Noel Henley, MD

Hand and Upper Extremity Specialist

  • About
  • For Patients
    • Deciding to Have Surgery
    • Nonsurgical Treatment
    • Living With One Hand
    • After Treatment
    • Instructions After Surgery
    • Make An Appointment
  • Disclaimer
  • Articles
  • What Patients are Saying
  • Appointments

What Is A Fusion?

May 3, 2015 by Dr. Henley Leave a Comment

A fusion is a surgery done to stop two things: motion and pain. A fusion creates a solid bone where a joint used to be. In this article, I’ll share an example of a common fusion surgery I do to cure finger pain.

Why would someone want a fusion surgery?

A fusion (also called an arthrodesis) is almost always done for arthritis. It’s a cure for arthritis. Fusing a joint cures the arthritis forever and stops pain.

Because the pain of arthritis comes from a worn out joint grinding on itself, if you stop the grinding, you stop the pain.

Patients with arthritis in the fingers try many treatments – from splints, to steroid shots, to medicines, and even surgeries to replace joints and repair bones.

When all these stop working, a fusion is the last option to try in most cases. It’s a good, reliable operation that’s been working for centuries.

How does a fusion work?

In a fusion surgery, the surgeon opens up the joint, exposing the worn out joint surfaces. He uses tools (scraping tools and often a burr) to expose raw spongy bone on either side of the old joint.

Sometimes bone graft is packed into this space, and the two bones are held together by some type of hardware, like a screw or wires.

In this example, you can see an xray of a finger joint fused together by a single screw.

fingertip dip fusion

The hardware keeps the two bones still and squeezed next to each other while they heal. Eventually solid bone grows across the junction between the two bones, forming a solid bridge of hard, normal bone.

How long does it take for a fusion to heal?

Because I’m putting two bone surfaces together to let them heal, fusions heal like a fractured bone. Instead of two broken bone fragments healing together, there are two normal bones healing together.

This process takes about six weeks in a finger.

Signs of healing include new calcified bone on an xray – growing across like a bridge between the bones, and no tenderness when the patient pushes on the old joint.

Usually patients can use the finger for light activities while the fusion is healing – typing, writing, getting ready in the morning. The screw is strong enough to withstand some light daily activity.

How does a fusion cure arthritis?

In the process of fusing the joint, the old joint surfaces are removed. Therefore, technically, there isn’t a joint there anymore.

Without a joint, you can’t have arthritis, so it’s gone forever!

What’s the big downside to a fusion surgery?

No motion.

The motion of the fused joint stops forever. The joints around the fused joint may move normally, but the fused bones become permanently stiff.

A fusion is a tradeoff between motion and pain. You get stiff, but the pain goes away forever. The happiest patients after a fusion surgery are patients who had daily pain in the finger before surgery, even with light activities.

Another thing that surprises patients is that the finger is still somewhat enlarged or lumpy after the fusion. This is common, and often cannot be corrected completely. However, the finger should be straight, not twisted, and pain-free once it’s healed.

What will the finger look like after the surgery?

Here’s a video of one of my patients with a fused, pain-free pinky finger joint after healing. The finger moves at the MCP and PIP joints, but the end knuckle doesn’t move at all.

Filed Under: arthritis, hand surgery

Protected: Xiaflex Injection Video

December 11, 2011 by Dr. Henley Leave a Comment

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Filed Under: hand surgery

Trigger Finger Incision

July 19, 2011 by Dr. Henley Leave a Comment

hand and question markMany patients ask where I put the incision for a trigger finger surgery. Knowing where the scar will be is an important part of getting ready for this procedure.

Find out where I make a trigger finger incision in this short article. I’ve included some pictures and a video to make things clear.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: common problems, hand surgery

Removing Pins From A Finger

October 25, 2010 by Dr. Henley 4 Comments

removing pins from a fingerIn this video, you’ll see how I remove pins from a finger.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: hand surgery, video

Spasticity in Stroke and Brain Injured Patients

September 21, 2010 by Dr. Henley

We’ve all known someone affected by stroke or brain injury. One of the most common consequences of such an injury to the central nervous system is spasticity. This just refers to overactive muscles that cause a contracted arm or leg. Spasticity is a stroke symptom, but occurs weeks or months after the stroke.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: hand surgery, news

Can Regenerative Medicine Re-grow a Finger?

September 13, 2010 by Dr. Henley

You may have seen a recent story on CNN about a patient whose finger grew back after the tip of the finger was amputated. This story is all over the internet and people are wondering (understandably) what all the fuss is about.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: hand surgery, news

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

EDUCATION PAGES

click on the links below to start learning:

  • arthritis: base of the thumb
  • arthritis: osteoarthritis
  • carpal tunnel syndrome
  • trigger finger
  • ganglion cysts
  • tennis elbow (epicondylitis)
  • wrist fractures
  • cubital tunnel syndrome
  • deQuervain's tendonitis
  • elbow fractures
  • olecranon bursitis
  • fingertip injuries
  • hand fractures

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

Call our office today at 479-521-2752 to make an appointment with Dr. Henley

Featured Articles

Mallet Finger Injury

“my finger doesn’t work”“my finger is bent”“my finger won’t straighten”“my finger is drooped” These are several of the most common things I hear when patients come in with a mallet finger.  A mallet finger is the name for a ruptured (torn) tendon at the tip of the finger. A tendon rupture is where a tendon […]

Bad Thumb Arthritis – What Does It Look Like?

The video below shows a patient’s thumb moving back and forth. As you’ll see, most of the range of motion is at the MP (metacarpophalangeal) joint. This is abnormal – in a normal thumb, the majority of the motion is through the CMC (carpometacarpal joint, at the base of the thumb). When the CMC joint […]

Forearm Fractures In Kids – What Parents Need To Know

Bones in children are different from bones in adults. They break differently and they respond differently to injury. Some fractures occur both in adults and kids – some fractures occur only in children. Forearm fractures occur in both, with some important differences. This article will cover some of the basics of forearm fractures in kids. […]

Fingertip Ganglion Cysts – Mucous Cysts

The most common tumor in the finger is a ganglion cyst. A ganglion cyst is simply a fluid-filled sac. It can be visible from the outside or buried deep underneath the skin. Sometimes it causes symptoms like soreness and pain; other times patients have no idea it’s there. What is a mucous cyst? Ganglion cysts […]

Categories

  • anatomy
  • announcements
  • arthritis
  • bone health
  • carpal tunnel syndrome
  • common problems
  • current events
  • Famous Hands and Arms
  • FAQ
  • fractures
  • hand surgery
  • injections
  • media appearances
  • news
  • nonsurgical treatment
  • nutrition
  • philosophy of medicine
  • prevention
  • sports
  • surgery
  • tests
  • thumb
  • Uncategorized
  • video
  • wrist surgery

Copyright © 2023 · Dynamik-Gen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in