Knuckles replacement

[anivo]

My fingers are bending down towards my palm and the Surgeon has told me that I need four knuckles replaced. Would like to hear on other people’s experiences who have had this operation. Thanks

[alibromo]

Wow I have never heard of this. You need to decide yourself & when i was told i needed surgery on my shoulder but it may not work i thought well if i don't try it I'll never know. I did have it but it helped for about 18 months then problems came back even worse. I'm glad I did try it though. Good luck & please keep us updated xx.

[sylvi]

I had my toes straightened, i know it is not the same, but bear with me. It is over 2yrs since i had them straightened and in my experience it was a waste of time as my toes have started to curl under again. xxx

[missispee in reply to sylvi]

Same happened to my toes, curled up again after straightened with surgery.

[sylvi in reply to missispee]

We did it with good intentions and it was a waste of time wasn't it darling.xxx

[Pam-51]

Hello,

Had the knuckles replaced in my right hand 34 years ago. It was very successful in improving both function and the appearance of the hand. It also alleviated the pain. Due to continuing active disease a further replacement was needed about 20 years ago.

Again it was successful so I have no hesitation in recommending the procedure. Just one rider. Your decision should be based on the severity of the pain and loss of function. Also, make sure you consult a specialist hand surgeon, they are usually plastic surgeons, with experience of the op.

If you need further info do get back to me. Best wishes.

Pam

[anivo in reply to Pam-51]

Thanks Pam and I will be having four knuckles replaced end July and really dreading this. Your response was positive and a good result

[Living-in-the-moment in reply to anivo]

Hi, I trust you are recovering well after your operation. I hope you don’t mind me asking you a question? I have been referred for 4 knuckles to be replaced on my right hand. My hand is badly drifting and there is some pain (very swollen knuckles) not a lot, more if I knock them or try to pick something up. My problem is that I am an artist and at the moment I can still draw and paint (a strange adapted way of holding brush etc) I also hand sew, I just wonder will I still be able to hold a needle or a pencil firmly enough? Have you noticed things you are unable to do since the operation? Thanks

[anivo in reply to Living-in-the-moment]

Hi I have not had the knuckles replaced yet as prior to the operation the Surgeon asked me to see him again. He explained that it is approx a 2 hour operation and the knuckle replacements might only last 5 years and said that he mainly does the operation for pain management. Like you I am still very active and do voluntary work which entails a lot of typing. He asked if I was in any pain (No) and whether my deformed hand stopped me from doing anything and I can still grip and hold most items, so he felt better to leave the op for the time being. My hand is not swollen but from previous swelling, my knuckles are enlarged and my fingers drift to the side and this is my righthand which I use. My fingers do bend in a bit too. Since seeing him nearly a year ago, my hand hasn't got worse. I just felt that I could possibly find that my hand is worse after having the knuckles replaced and my husband and I both sussed that he was telling me to leave the operation for now and did say that at a later stage if I needed to have it done, he doesn't have a long waiting list and would do it within 6 months. When I watch TV I sometimes still put on the support that they gave me which helps. Hope this helps you make a decision.

[Living-in-the-moment in reply to anivo]

Hi, thanks for getting back to me. Your reply is very interesting, you certainly seem to have similar dilemmas to my own. I did think at the time of the consultation with the surgeon that he was stressing the pain relief aspect. He pressed me on whether or not my hand was painful, a difficult one to answer as I’m sure you know because it changes all the time and I am very used to pain, also the deformity itself causes pain through use but I don’t find the pain overwhelming. Your reply has reassured me that it’s ok to keep thinking about it, I don’t imagine with the pressure that the NHS is under that I will be given a date anytime soon. Thank you so much.

[anivo in reply to Living-in-the-moment]

Thanks for coming back. The Consultant/Surgeon did say that even if my hand got worse it wouldn't make the operation more difficult to do. As I am not in any pain but just uncomfortable some of the time, I knew that I would be in a lot of pain after having the op!

[Living-in-the-moment in reply to anivo]

Knowing that the op can be left for a while is really useful information. Ta

[Sarahg62]

I had two knuckles replaced 20 years ago, worked very well but now need replacing again. I have an appointment with Plastics and reconstructive surgery at St George’s next week. I have already seen Orthopaedics - they want to fuse them 😡 so will see what they say.

[Living-in-the-moment in reply to Sarahg62]

Wow they lasted a long time! I hope you get good news when you go for your appointment, I guess fusing them will stop the pain at least? Good luck

[Pulfs]

I’ve had 3 knuckles replaced 5 yrs ago by a hand surgeon specialist who also knows about RA. It was successful and also had the tendon realigned on my rt middle finger. I’m due to have this tendon done again in June as it’s causing my finger to drift to the rt. if you’re in pain and hand is difficult to use I’d go ahead with it . X

[dippyd09]

Hello, I had al my knuckles in my right hand replaced around 6/7 years ago. It has been very successful. I enjoy we’re done as my fingers were almost at right angles with my hand and it was causing terrible nerve pain. I now have none and my fingers are fairly straight but best of all pain free. After the op and an initial short healing period you do have to do physio a few times a day but it is very much worth it. I am happy to try to answer any questions you may have (if I can). I wish you good luck.

[juliea793]

I have deviated curling hands but pain free. So at the moment I am not asking for surgery. But it is interesting that the surgery appears successful .Good luck .

[anivo]

Thank you all so much for your comments which are much appreciated. At the moment I am not in any pain but may be later on, so difficult to know whether to have this done which will be in the Autumn or hold fire until I do get pain. I think I will need to ask the Surgeon some questions before going ahead. Please continue to give me feedback on your experiences to help me decide as not an easy decision to make. My knuckles are not swollen but the RA has made them hard and larger than they should be so stopping fingers from coming back up. Hope this makes sense!

[Hidden]

Some of my fingers, especially the middle ones are bending over now. I showed them to a rheumatologist about ten years ago when they were just starting to bend and he said there was nothing that could be done about it and that they would probably get worse as time went on, which they have done. The middle finger on my right hand is so badly bent to the right that when I close my hand to make a fist it can't go down into my palm and just goes sideways on top of the next finger. There are large and red looking lumps on the top of my knuckles on all my fingers now.

[Bessieboo1]

I had my little and ringer fingers on my left hand amputated at the PIP joint as they had become clawed. This was done in January so only about 3 months ago. It was felt that this was the best option for me, it has healed well but the circulation is a bit dodgy when stumpies get a bit chilly but hoping that this will settle down soon.

[anivo]

Thanks everyone for your comments which is much appreciated. I am seeing a hand therapist in two weeks and she is going to try a splint to see if this helps at all. As I am in no pain at the moment but maybe by the time I have an operation, it is so difficult to know what to do. As with all operations some can be successful and others not, so guess it depends if I should be one of the lucky ones. Being righthanded and the problem is with that hand, it sounds as though I wont be able to use it for 1-3 months or possibly longer. Take care everyone

[Green230461]

Wow did not know they could do that. Good luck to you 🌞

[anivo]

Thanks and believe this operation has been carried out for many years now but I had never heard of it. Just hoping it will be successful.