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Joint replacement can be a relief for anyone who faces joint aches and pains, especially if you have arthritis.

Just ask Deborah Bercier, of Makoti. She has suffered from arthritis since she was in her late thirties. Most recently, her arthritis was so bad that she wasn’t able to move her fingers comfortably – or at all.

“They were all messed up,” she said, noting that it got to the point where she couldn’t make bread. “I couldn’t move my fingers. They were locked. I couldn’t do anything with them before the operation.”

Alleviation came at the hands of Daniel Williams, MD, a hand and wrist surgeon with Trinity Health, who performed several surgeries over a period of a few months. During this time, he either fused or replaced the joints in Bercier’s hands and fingers. (The reason it took this length of time was to allow Bercier the opportunity to recuperate and live her life without having both hands recovering at the same time.)

While the joint replacements haven’t cured Bercier of her arthritis, they have helped alleviate some of the pain associated with it.

“It’s not as painful as before,” she said. “I can move my fingers now.”

Arthritis is the destruction of cartilage, which is accompanied by inflammation and pain, Dr. Williams explained. The Arthritis Association states on their website that common arthritis joint symptoms include swelling, pain, stiffness, and decreased range of motion. More than 50 million adults and 300,000 children have some type of arthritis; it is more common among women and people as they get older.

Treatment for arthritis in the hand and wrist begins conservatively, starting with splinting, Dr. Williams said. “If splinting isn’t effective, we talk about steroid injections. And when they stop becoming effective, we talk about surgical options.”

According to the Arthritis Foundation, the two main surgical options for hand arthritis are fusion, or arthrodesis, and total knuckle replacement, or arthroplasty. With arthrodesis, the bones of the joint are fused together, creating a stronger, more stable and essentially pain-free knuckle, but one with little flexibility or movement.

Arthroplasty involves removing the damaged joint and replacing it with an artificial implant. The goal is to relieve pain and restore shape and some function in the hand.

“We can replace or fuse the joints in the hand and wrist,” Dr. Williams said. “It’s not just the fingers; we do the wrist also.”

Trinity Health Hand & Wrist Surgery includes two board-certified hand and wrist surgeons – Blendi Cumani, MD, and Daniel Williams, MD – as well as four certified therapists who work with hand and wrist injuries. (Bercier noted that following her procedures, she attended hand therapy sessions at Health Center – West. “They did a good job,” she said.)

Dr. Williams added they do not only focus on the hands, but anywhere between the mid-forearm to the fingertips.

Hand & Wrist Surgery is based at Health Center – Medical Arts, 400 Burdick Expy E, Minot. For appointments or consultations, please call 701-857-7301. Referrals are not needed.