What Is Joint Fusion Surgery Done With?

Fusion, also called arthrodesis, removes or prepares the joint surfaces and holds the bones together in a planned position. A plate and screws can provide firm support while new bone grows across the prepared joint. The exact hardware varies with the joint, bone shape, movement forces and surgical approach.

Bone graft may be placed at the fusion site to help fill a space or support bone joining. The goal is a stable union that reduces painful movement, but the fused joint will no longer move like a normal joint. Nearby joints may need to take on more movement during daily activities.

Your surgeon will give specific instructions about dressings, elevation, weight-bearing, splints or casts and exercises. Protect the operated area until healing has been checked, and use crutches or another aid if advised. Physiotherapy may focus first on safe transfers and maintaining movement in nearby joints, then progress as the fusion becomes secure.

Keep scheduled reviews so the team can assess the wound, alignment and signs of union. Ask how to adapt stairs, work and driving. The related pages on Plate and Screws and Joint Fusion Surgery explain the treatment and material in more detail.

Seek urgent help for severe or rapidly increasing pain, a pale or cold foot or hand, new loss of sensation or movement, chest pain or sudden breathlessness. Contact the surgical team promptly for fever, spreading redness, increasing drainage, wound opening, marked swelling or a new deformity after an accident.

Ask which hardware will be used and where it will sit, whether bone graft is planned, what position the joint will be fused in, and how long protection from weight or movement may last. Clarify how the loss of joint motion may affect footwear, work, sport and nearby joints.