My dad had his wrist and hand fused & he can't stand it. Can you tell me if it is reversible?

Answer 1

There is no easy answer to this, as we don't know what was originally wrong that`caused them to do a fusion and what type of procedure was done. He needs to see a hand surgeon. They are normally found in the major cities. They may be able to reverse dependent on what has been done and why.

Answer 2

I work on an orthopedics unit (broken bones and bone related surgeries) and once a bone is fused, it is not reversible. What happens when they fuse bones in the body is basically the same process as when you break a bone and it mends back together. New bone growth happens between the two bones (whether broken or fused) until they are one bone. However, when doctors make a fusion happen like in your dad's case, they usually use some sort of metal hardware. In some case, it is the metal hardware that is causing problems and irritations and they can go in and remove the hardware once the bone growth is determined to be strong enough. What your dad needs to do is go see an Orthopedic doctor and they can let him know what they can do to help him. It would probably be best for him to go to the one that did his hand. If your dad have a problem with that doctor then he could ask around and find a really good Orthopedic doctor.
I hope this helps and I wish you and your dad good luck.

Answer 3

If you yourself are not yet an adult, this is not something you need to be trying to fix. But here is some information for you. Fusion means two bones have been surgically made to be one bone. It is not reversible.
However, you dad needs to get additional medical care so he can be more comfortable and functional. He needs a second opinion. This is a different doctor in a different hospital than the one that did the work. An orthopedic surgeon is necessary for this second opinion. It could be that the fusion is not yet solid. It takes a while for a person to get used to a fused joint and it is very annoying in the mean time.
There are lots of things that can be done to help your dad along like physical therapy, work hardening to improve work abilities, counseling to help him deal with his loss, pain management programs to help reduce pain and some chances to learn to use his hand again.
Your dad needs to continue to insist on getting medical care until he is satisfied with the result. If the problem that caused the fusion was a work injury he can call the person managing his claim and get help on finding more or better care.
I'm sorry for your dad, but fusion generally puts a stop to a more serious problem. It takes time to adjust to a fusion.

Answer 4

I don't believe you can, unless they break it. But I'm not sure if that would even work.