If you have arthritis in the small joints of the fingers, you may not think there’s anything that can be done for you to help with the pain and disability you are experiencing in your hands.
In fact, some of you may have already had a consultation with a doctor, and they have told you there’s nothing that can be done – or they said what can be done isn’t really very good.
Don’t believe it.
Here at the MSA Hand Center in Muskegon, Michigan, we perform the most cutting edge surgery for small joints that’s available.
So let’s talk about some of the options:
Oftentimes, surgery is not necessary to treat the pain and disability that is associated with arthritis in the small joints of the fingers. Many times all that is needed is a cortisone shot. And because we are a hand center, we have the ability to administer the cortisone shot with great deal of accuracy using a livetime x-ray that is located in our office. This is unlike any other office along the Lakeshore.
Not only will you get a cortisone shot, you will get exactly where you need it the most. This means you can get relief from the shot for 3 to 6 months and sometimes beyond that!
However, sometimes surgery is still necessary. When this is the case, there are many other surgeons who prefer fusions for small joints in the hand. This actually requires that the bones are put together in a way that they can never move again.
Although sometimes fusions are an unavoidable option, here at the MSA Hand Center, we provide an exciting option that has been around for many years but is not utilized by many surgeons. It involves a silicone joint replacement.
Silicone joint replacement, though not a new technology, is done by relatively few surgeons in the United States. It provides excellent relief of pain, can improve motion, and is a very durable and safe option.
Initially, when the technology was introduced, the quality of the silicone and the actual technical makeup of the implant was not as rigorous as it could have been to provide good long-term results. That problem has been overcome in many ways by the new advances in silicone technology.
We have many examples of patients whose fingers were extremely painful and they cannot use them because they were so painful. However after joint replacement, many patients were able to resume activities and hobbies that they really love with good function and no pain.
So don’t let anybody tell you that there’s nothing that can be done about arthritis in the small joints of your hand. Get an evaluation at the MSA hand surgery center so you know for a fact what can and what can’t be done, and get pain relief today.