Definition
Arthrosis is the wear and tear of the cartilage between joint structures. It can also affect the wrist and have various causes. The most common form on the wrist is saddle joint arthrosis (rhizarthrosis).
The arthrosis of the wrist is also known as radiocarpal arthrosis and describes a degenerative change in the wrist. Wrist arthrosis is very rare in comparison to other joint changes, but if it is severe, it leads to a very severe restriction of function up to the complete loss of function of the wrist. As a rule, women are more frequently affected by wrist arthrosis.
Classification
Basically two different forms of wrist arthrosis are distinguished:
- Idiopathic/primary wrist arthrosis Primary radiocarpal arthrosis is a disease of the joint itself. It results in a congenital inferiority of the joint cartilage, the cause of which is unknown.
- Symptomatic/secondary wrist arthrosisSecondary wrist arthrosis, on the other hand, occurs after previous illnesses. Typical of this are fractures (fractures), permanent incorrect loading, rheumatoid arthritis or congenital malformations of the joint (congenital luxation).
Cause
There are various causes for wrist arthrosis:
- Some patients have a tendency to degenerative joint changes and can thus develop wrist arthrosis without an explainable cause.
- In other cases the arthrosis is caused by massive overloading,
- Posttraumatic or
- Flammable.
- Especially scaphoid fractures or broken spokes can later cause arthroses.
- In rare cases, previous torn ligaments of the wrist are the cause of wrist arthrosis.
Symptoms
The reshaping of the bone leads to: Usually, the pain is initially pronounced, especially during a load, but over time a resting pain also occurs. In addition, relapsing-remitting joint inflammation can occur due to the remodelling processes. These are accompanied by swelling, redness and warming of the affected wrist.
Wrist arthrosis can occur on one hand only or on both sides. Although wrist arthrosis is comparatively rare, it leads to a massive restriction of mobility during the course of the disease. If the progression of the arthrosis is not halted, the function of the wrist can be completely lost.
- Pain,
- Swelling and
- Movement restrictions of the hand.
- In addition, joint deformations may become visible after some time.
