arthrodesis

medicine

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Last updated

June 18, 2026

Quick Summary

Arthrodesis is a surgical procedure that involves the immobilization of a joint to allow the bones to fuse together solidly. This fusion eliminates motion within the joint.12

Arthrodesis is often performed to alleviate pain associated with conditions like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. It can also be used to stabilize joints that are unstable or have lost useful muscle power, or to remove an infection within an arthritic joint. The operation typically involves removing the joint cartilage, and sometimes a bone transplant is used to speed up the healing process. This procedure is distinct from arthroplasty, which aims to restore normal joint motion.23

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joint
Types of joints
Such fusion is called arthrodesis. All permanent and some transient joints permit movement. Movement of the latter may be temporary, as with the roof bones of an infant’s skull during birth, or long-term, as with the joints of the base of the skull during postnatal development.
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Such fusion is called arthrodesis. All permanent and some transient joints permit movement. Movement of the latter may be temporary, as with the roof bones of an infant’s skull during birth, or long-term, as with the joints of the base of the skull during postnatal development.
Read More

bone disease
Therapeutic and corrective measures
Arthrodesis is aimed at elimination of motion in a joint (fusion) in order to eliminate pain in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, stabilize a joint that is either unstable or lacks useful muscle power, and remove an infectious lesion in arthritis. The operation involves removal of…
Read More
Arthrodesis is aimed at elimination of motion in a joint (fusion) in order to eliminate pain in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, stabilize a joint that is either unstable or lacks useful muscle power, and remove an infectious lesion in arthritis. The operation involves removal of…
Read More