Metatarsal Surgery

Surgical treatment in rheumatoid arthritis is used to relieve severe pain and improve function of severely deformed joints that do not respond to medication and physical therapy.

Total joint replacement (arthroplasty) can be done for many different joints in the body. Its success varies depending on which joint is replaced.

Surgery Choices

Surgeries considered for people who have severe rheumatoid arthritis include:

• Resection of metatarsal heads, to remove deformed bone in the feet.

What to Think About

Joint surgery often restores near-normal movement in a person who has osteoarthritis in just one or two joints. But this is not the case in people affected by rheumatoid arthritis.

Surgical treatment may not be an option for  the affected joint. Joint surgery or replacement can relieve disabling pain and restore enough motion to allow you to complete daily activities, but it will seldom restore the joint to normal. The  resection of the metatarsal heads (in the foot) is considered to be a highly successful surgery .