Dr. Steven Rueda is one of the most sought after surgeons for wrist arthritis in Palm Beach. Osteoarthritis, commonly known as arthritis, can occur in any of the joints of the wrist. The word “arthritis” means inflammation in the joint. The symptoms can be very debilitating and limits people from doing basic every day activities.
WHAT CAUSES WRIST ARTHRITIS?
The cause of arthritis is poorly understood. It is however more common with age and after trauma. The wrist if formed by two bones of the forearm (radius and ulna), and the carpal bones connecting the forearm to the finger bones. The most commonly involved carpal bones in wrist arthritis are the scaphoid and lunate bones. The normal joint anatomy consist of the two ends of a bone covered by a cartilage cap or cartilage surface; the space between the two surfaces is covered with joint fluid that assist in lubrication. In wrist arthritis, the cartilage in the surface wears out leading the forearm bones to be in contact with carpal bones (See Image). This rubbing of bone-on-bone leads to the pain and inflammation seen in arthritis.
WRIST ARTHRITIS PROCEDURE
There are three main types of wrist arthritis surgery: wrist denervation, wrist fusion, wrist replacement (arthroplasty). Dr. Rueda is an expert in all of these procedures, and has presented on the subject in national meetings. Some of the differences across the types of surgery are listed below:
Incisions
All of the previous procedures are performed using a vertical incision in the back of the wrist of 5-8cms long
Goals of Surgery
• Wrist denervation:
Removes the nerves of the affected wrist joint to reduce symptoms of pain• Wrist Fusion:
Fuses or joins the two raw bones that are rubbing together in the joint using wires, plates, or screws; it avoids pain by eliminating movement at site of the joint• Wrist Replacement:
Replaces the bone ends with implants; it avoids pain by preventing bone-on-bone contact while preserving motion.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Patients with classic history, symptoms, and exam who have failed conservative treatment are good candidates for the procedure.
Fortunately the treatments are all excellent at getting rid of the pain. Most patients feel the arthritis pain “gone” after the procedure while they recover from the different “procedure pain”.
Complications in arthritis surgery are specific to every procedure. Dr. Rueda will discuss these with you personally. Fortunately these procedure are safe and enjoy very high success rates with low complication rates.