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Would like hear from people with finger joint replacements or fusions

Posted by laury @laury, Jul 14, 2012

I have severe osteoarthritis in my right hand. I would like to hear from people who have had joint replacements or fusions in their fingers because I am not sure which is the best treatment for me. Thanks

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russrucks | @russrucks | Apr 11 3:48pm

I've been getting a shot in my middle finger knuckle every six months now I need to get it every four months.
I am considering getting the knuckle replaced in January, is it worth it or better to keep getting the shots?
I would like to hear from anyone that has had the replacement in the last 18 months.

REPLY
ginafaf | @ginafaf | Jun 10 11:44am
In reply to @shellrusk "Hi everyone… I’ve had my right hand pointer finger fused with a screw. ( may 2022)..." + (show)
@shellrusk

Hi everyone… I’ve had my right hand pointer finger fused with a screw. ( may 2022) Pain is gone and I’m happy that I did it. Haven’t had any issues with it being fused. If anyone has questions feel free to ask

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What does your finger look like after healing? Did the surgery make it look normal? And what kind of mobility do you have?

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ginafaf | @ginafaf | Jun 10 11:47am
In reply to @gregv "Fusion vs replacement vs cleaning out the joint - depends on what you want that joint..." + (show)
@gregv

Fusion vs replacement vs cleaning out the joint - depends on what you want that joint to do after the surgeons are done. Surgeons in my immediate area measure success solely on pain elimination - if the joint hurts, take it out, it doesn't hurt anymore, success!
Not. My big toe self-fused a several years ago - osteoarthritis. I used to do a lot of hiking in the mountains - difficult trails and climbs, but before surgery I walked with a limp, little toes and outside of foot cramped, and I often had to walk backwards to get out of some of the steeper areas. Surgeons wanted to completely fuse the joint. I found a surgeon in Portland who opened the joint and cleaned it out. That was over 2 years ago - I'm 70 and still walking straight and pan free - back do doing the difficult hikes.
Same with my left thumb - they wanted to do the LRTI or Tightrope procedures - take the joint out and it won't hurt anymore - and they told me I could still play golf! Yay! I appreciate the skills it takes to play that game but I haven't played since I was 14. I work with wood - sometimes odd shapes, and pinch strength is very important to me. LRTI eliminates pinch strength - so these surgeons all told me and that makes sense, but not for me. I had the Stablyx implant instead, 1 year ago, got my pinch strength back in a month. Still doing strength and flexibility exercises, but it is much better now.
We are individuals, and will react differently to each procedure - nothing is 100%. So I decided that the risks were worth taking to get what I wanted. So far so good. Some day I'll have to stop using these joints in the manner that I do, but not today.
Good luck to you all.
GregV

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I’m interested in the joint clean out method, and wondering which doctor you found, was it Portland ME or OR? My current orthopedist will only offer me a joint fusion.

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1 reply
Samson | @gregv | Jun 10 12:20pm
In reply to @ginafaf "I’m interested in the joint clean out method, and wondering which doctor you found, was it..." + (show)
@ginafaf

I’m interested in the joint clean out method, and wondering which doctor you found, was it Portland ME or OR? My current orthopedist will only offer me a joint fusion.

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For my big toe joint, the doctor was at Portland, Oregon, OHSU, Dr. Otto. I believe she is still there. It has been 4 years since surgery, and still walking straight and pain free, still doing the good, long hikes in the mountains.
Good luck!
Gregv

REPLY
winston01 | @winston01 | Jul 31 7:47am
In reply to @shellrusk "Hi everyone… I’ve had my right hand pointer finger fused with a screw. ( may 2022)..." + (show)
@shellrusk

Hi everyone… I’ve had my right hand pointer finger fused with a screw. ( may 2022) Pain is gone and I’m happy that I did it. Haven’t had any issues with it being fused. If anyone has questions feel free to ask

Jump to this post

Mine is my middle finger. I’m going to have the joint fused at the top but I want to know do they removed all enlarged area around the knuckle when they fuse it.

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