Wrist Arthrodesis eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: A painful wrist causes disability and decreased function of the upper extremity. The articulation afforded the hand by the wrist is important for mobility, strength, and dexterity. The pain produced by arthropathy of the wrist causes the patient to use a wrist splint to decrease pain. However, loss of mobility due to splinting is only part of the problem. The pull of the finger and wrist flexors and extensors exerts considerable force on the many intercarpal joints. Pain produced by bone-on-bone contact is compounded by the pressure exerted in active motion, and the result is reluctance of the patient to perform active motion. The goal of wrist arthrodesis is to provide the patient with a relatively pain-free wrist by eliminating movement in arthritic joints.
Synonyms and related keywords: wrist fusion, limited intercarpal arthrodesis, limited intercarpal fusion, subtotal arthrodesis, arthropathy of the wrist, wrist joint arthritis, bone-on-bone contact between the carpal bones and the distal radius, bony consolidation, midcarpal fusion
Walsh & Harper 2004