In simple English, please explain

[Faint]

a false joint. This new dog (oh I hope his owners don't look for him) has had a broken femur in the past. The vet says he can't really feel the top of the femur and that the dog probably now has a false joint.

So is this some sort of soft bone that hinges? Do the ends not knit together and the muscles take over the joint's role? What causes the formation of a false joint instead of a more normal heal? I'd never heard of these things, is it something that people would get in "ye good olde days"? Do people or animals ever get a "new" joint, say between the knee and ankle, of this sort?

Faint

[oswald1]

A "false joint" is called a pseudoarthrosis. It is a fibrous bridge between two parts of the same bone. It may be congenital or acquired. The congenital form usually occurs in the radius, ulna, tibia, or fibula but it has rarely been found in the femur (in humans). Congenital pseudoarthrosis is usually associated with other diseases such as neurofibromatosis or fibrous dysplasia. The acquired form follows nonunion of a fracture. If the pseudoarthrosis is truly the result of a fracture nonunion, it may be treated with open reduction and internal fixation using bone graft. The result should be good although I would expect the procedure to be expensive.