If your osteoarthritis is severe, and medications and other treatments haven’t helped with pain, stiffness, and other issues, surgery may be an option. They include:
- Arthroscopy to remove or repair loose or damaged tissue in the joint.
- Joint replacement surgery to replace the damaged joint with an artificial one.
- Joint fusion (arthrodesis) fuses the two bones on each side of the joint. The joint will no longer be flexible.
- Osteotomy realigns bones of the arm or leg to relieve pressure on the joint.