Distal Interphalangeal Joint Fusion

"So, I have been very quiet over the last year or so but that is simply because I have had a few surgeries. As I am getting older so my body is giving in more and more.  The arthritis is taking hold of my body but I am still determined not to be beaten."  ...........written a little more than a year ago and here i sit having had the same surgery but on a different hand.  I have been thinking why it has taken me so long to actually getting around to publishing this post and apart from the obvious one that it takes longer to type than usual....... it has been an intense year!

sometimes life just gives you no breathing space and this is what this last year has felt like! 

So...... Distal interphalangeal joint fusion...... what is it and how does it help me?  

"Arthrodesis

Arthrodesis is a type of surgery that joins (fuses) 2 bones in a diseased joint so that the joint can no longer move. It may be done when pain and disability or instability from a diseased joint can no longer be managed with medicines, splints, and other methods.

The surgery may be done on joints such as the fingers, knees, ankles, or spine. Depending on the joint and the particular disease the person has, different methods of doing arthrodesis are possible. For example:  Metal implants may be secured to the bones to hold them together until new bone grows to complete the fusion. Depending on the joint, these procedures may have high complication rates."

So having had my right hand done a year ago and having my joints fused with pins....... my consultant this time (a different partner) has done the fusion with screws, which is supposed to heal quicker.

I have also had all my other finger joints injected with steroids whilst under anaesthetic and to be honest it does seem to be healing quicker,  but the bruising after the injections was quite severe and really hurt. 


If anyone that has arthritis in their fingers I would highly recommend this surgery as it definitely takes the pain out of the joints (unfortunately there are a whole lot of joints in the hands and fingers so it is a short term relief) but it is definitely something worth considering.



I was booked off for 5 weeks from school but feel ready to go back 4 weeks post op,  my doctor says she has never had anyone ask for their sick note to be changed to go back to work sooner!  

I think for my own mental health I need to go back to work as I need to be around people.

I started driving again yesterday and found it a little painful but felt so good to get out of the house and go where I wanted to go without having to rely on other people. 

I have requested to go back to work early but on reduced hours and amended duties.

I think that taking it slowly is important but is also essential for my mental state of mind (but that is another blog for another day....)


So how has this helped me.  Well since the last operation last year i do not have pain in the joints that were fused. This just means that out of all the joint pains I have:  neck, back, knees, hands..... I now have less pain than before,  

On the flipside though, unfortunately due to the joints no longer being able to bend,  I don't have a very good grip anymore and tend to drop things regularly.  But you have to weigh up the pros and cons and less pain is definitely a pro so that's why I went for the second surgery on the other hand.

I hope that this blog may bring to light something that others suffering from crippling arthritis might find beneficial.

Till next time.  

Lesley  👌