If conservative forms of therapy have not led to the desired success, the attending physician can consider the surgical form of therapy. As a rule, an operative measure is only considered if the complaints have already lasted for a very long time and the joints already show severe deformations. These deformations can lead to joints deviating completely from the finger axis.
During the operation for finger arthrosis, not only the lifted nodules are usually removed. In most cases, the swollen joint mucosa is also removed. Another possibility is to cut through the pain nerves that supply the final joint.
It should be noted here that the sensory nerves are not affected by a severing and therefore sensory disturbances in the area of the fingers or fingertips occur only rarely. Patients who, in addition to severe pain, already have severe deformations of the joints are usually stiffened during the finger arthrosis operation. As a rule, mobility remains in the other joints, so that the affected finger is not completely stiffened, i.e. it is still fully mobile in some areas.
The affected joint is stiffened either by the insertion of two to three small wires (so-called Kirschner wires) or by the insertion of special screws. Also in the area of the surgical therapy form, the advantages and disadvantages must be weighed against each other. For example, the advantage of this surgical method is that the mobility of the final joint can be maintained.
However, it must be pointed out that in the long term, patients may be affected by the disease again and similar problems may reoccur. It is also possible that pain may continue to occur for a long period of time after the operation. An operative intervention is therefore no guarantee for the elimination of the disease in the affected joint.
What happens with the inserted wires ? The wires inserted during the operation can only be removed once the radiological examination has ensured that the arthrodesis (joint stiffening) has been completely completed. The wires are usually removed in a minor operation after 6 to 18 months.
When this is done in each individual case must be decided individually. An alternative to surgical removal of the wires is the possibility of removing the wires from the skin after the operation. They can then be removed without further surgery and usually after about 6 weeks. The risk that the desired stiffening of the joint does not occur, and that the surgical intervention therefore fails, is quite high.
