Background Information

Arthritis in the wrist is a relatively common problem usually arising from remote trauma such as wrist or wrist bone fractures or stabilizing wrist ligament tears, rheumatoid arthritis, or idiopathic osteoarthritis. Often managed by wrist splinting, anti-inflammatory medications and creams, pain can rise to the level where these conservative forms of treatment no longer suffice and function deteriorates.
Older surgical techniques relied on removing one or more bones in the wrist, fusing several bones together on a permanent basis or fusing the entire wrist solid. The former two allow some remaining wrist motion while the latter does not allow wrist motion.
While replacement of the wrist joint using a medical implant made of specialized metals and high-density polyethylene, similar to those seen commonly with knee and hip replacements, has been performed for several decades, clinical results often were less than optimal due to implant loosening or dislocation.
The past decade, and especially the past several years, have brought newer total wrist implants that have better design parameters, very stable fixation and stability. These advances, coupled with intensive research on the wrist joint itself, have offered patients the viable option of maintaining wrist motion on a longer term basis.

The World’s First WristMotion Patient Case (link below):
https://turnto10.com/features/health-landing-page/first-of-its-kind-total-wrist-replacement-surgery-performed-in-rhode-island