I’m planning to have my left wrist fused next month. Are there any studies to show how patients come out years later? Am I just getting a quick fix? Or will the results last a lifetime?

Long-term studies of this question are few and far between. A recent report from the Hand and Upper Extremity Clinic in Boston offers some insight.

hey studied 22 patients with wrist fusion ranging from one year to 15 years later. More than half still had wrist pain, some rated as “severe”. All but one patient said they would suggest a friend have wrist fusion for a similar problem.

Many patients report going back to work, even those in manual labor. Most said pain relief was enough to do what they needed to do each day at home and at work. Eighty percent of patients interviewed do say the quality of life is less after wrist fusion.