pseudoarthrosis

9.9

A broken bone that does not heal and forms a false joint where it broke

noun
/ˌsuːdoʊɑrˈθroʊsɪs/

Specialized

: pseudoartrosis

In cases of pseudoarthrosis, the broken bone fails to heal properly, leading to a painful false joint.

Examples

The term pseudoarthrosis means that there is an area of nonhealing in the fusion mass, which causes continued motion at that site (Chapman, 2001).

Academic text (2005)
Residuals of non-union, pseudoarthrosis, segmental defects, shortening, malunion, chronic osteomyelitis, joint contracture, and soft tissue atrophy are also managed with this method.

Academic text (2007)
Many patients with pseudoarthrosis experience chronic pain and limited mobility due to the nonunion of their fracture.
Doctors often recommend surgical intervention for pseudoarthrosis to help stabilize the affected area and promote healing.

Synonyms

pseudarthrosis

vspseudoarthrosis

Specialized

1 9.9

A broken bone that does not heal and forms a false joint

is the same medical condition but spelled with the extra vowel

Surface Forms

pseudoarthrosis singular

pseudoarthroses plural

Morphology

pseudoarthrosis = arthrosis (opaque) = pseudo + arthrosis

The form is analyzable as pseudo- plus arthrosis, but the second element is specialized medical vocabulary, so the meaning is not readily predictable for an average learner.

Etymology

Pseudoarthrosis comes from the Greek parts pseudo- ('false') and arthro- ('joint'). So, it means a 'false joint' and helps you remember that this is when a broken bone does not heal and behaves like a joint at the place of the break.