Osteoarthritis in the wrist: the hand no longer obeys

Unscrewing a bottle causes you unpleasant pain? Lifting a heavy pot without pain - unimaginable! The mobility of the hands is very important in everyday life. If this is no longer possible due to osteoarthritis or rheumatism, for example, our hand specialists are the first port of call when it comes to artificial joint replacement in the hand. Dr Petra Scheffer and her team specialize in highly complex anatomical structures in the smallest of spaces. In order to damage as little tissue as possible in the hand, delicate work and very tissue-preserving surgical techniques are required.

Pain in the wrist

There are many ways to relieve pain in the wrist. The hand specialists use an arthroscopy to diagnose how much bone and cartilage is damaged. Better mobility without pain can be achieved by partially stiffening the wrist or removing a row of carpal bones. The prerequisite is that certain parts of the hand do not yet show any cartilage damage.

Wrist prosthesis: getting the wrist moving again

If the cartilage in the wrist is already damaged, our specialists can maintain or restore mobility with a wrist prosthesis. Our hand specialists will advise you on the advantages and disadvantages of a wrist prosthesis for you individually.

How the hand surgery works

Based on the diagnosis, the right wrist prosthesis is selected for you individually in terms of size and material. Although the wrist consists of eight small wrist bones, radius and ulna, it is possible to replace these with a joint prosthesis with a joint socket and a joint head. Access is via the wrist on the extensor side so that only a few vessels and nerves are damaged. The durability of a wrist prosthesis is around 15 years.

The most common alternative to a prosthesis is arthrodesis, a complete stiffening of the wrist. The patient's requirements are always important, with the top priority being to alleviate the pain.

Ulnar head prosthesis - osteoarthritis between ulna and radius

Osteoarthritis (wear and tear) is also possible between the ulna and radius. If the ulnar head changes due to osteoarthritis, an accident or rheumatism, it is possible to insert an ulnar head prosthesis. An ulnar head prosthesis is a partial prosthesis that allows the hand to continue to turn without pain.