Clinicians and researchers in Southampton are leading a pioneering study into the use of computer-generated hand models to help improve the success of joint surgery for patients with arthritis.
Currently, surgery to replace the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint – the second joint in the finger from the finger tip – is not as reliable or predictable as surgery to replace the hip or knee.
Although it usually reduces pain, the range of movement does not improve and, in some instances, the joint can dislocate, stiffen or wear out.
