What types of artificial joints are used?
What type of artificial joint you have is usually decided by your surgeon. He or she will factor in your age, your health and what your goals are for surgery. Types of artificial joints include: Silicone spacers The most common type of artificial joint is a one-piece silicone design that sits between the bones of your knuckle joint and keeps them from rubbing together. This artificial joint isn’t a hinge or similar style of joint that you might expect in other joint replacement surgeries. Instead, the silicone knuckle joint simply replaces the diseased bone fragments as a spacer. In the weeks and months after surgery, the soft tissues and ligaments that surround your knuckle will heal and strengthen, allowing you to regain movement and function in your fingers. Metal-plastic joints These implants are constructed of two pieces, one of cobalt chrome metal and the other of polyethylene plastic. A ball on the end of the metal part fits into a socket on the end of the plastic piece, creatin
