Naviculocuneiform Fusion

The naviculocuneiform (NC) joint is located in the middle of the foot. It consists of four bones: the tarsal navicular and the medial, middle, and lateral cuneiforms. 

The main reason to perform NC joint fusion is to relieve pain related to arthritis. Arthritic joints in the midfoot typically occur after trauma to that region or as part of a collapsing foot arch. When a joint is arthritic, the cartilage has worn away and the bony surfaces rub together, which causes pain. The goal of the fusion is to get the bones to heal together so the pain goes away. Sometimes patients whose arches have collapsed will have a deformity that requires NC fusion to correct it.