Dupuytrens Contractures are a progressive condition that effects the palm of the hand, they usually occur under the ring finger and pinky but can effect other fingers too.
The progressive thickening of the fascia and tendon ( tough fibrous tissues) under the skin makes it more and more difficult over time to straighten the affected fingers out, often it appears that the skin is stuck to the tissue underneath, a bit like a stitch that has been put in the wrong place on a garment, like an adhesion from surgery or a deep cut that healed long ago. Sometimes Dupuytrens Contracture (DC) is referred to as Trigger Finger.
DC is more common in men than women, usually has a hereditiory link, rarely starts before the age of 40, is more common in people with Nordic ancestry, more common in alcoholics and in diabetics and is thought to be an auto-immune disease. DC starts off painlessly but becomes increasingly debilitating over the years as the affected finger/s bends more and more towards the palm.
Sometimes DC sufferers get tendon shortening on their soles (called Lederhausen Disease) and men may develope a bend in their penis (called Pyronie’s Disease). Medical texts often state that DC has no known cause but DC is much more common in the right hand than the left so you may want to try not over using your “good” hand and see if it makes a difference.
DC is operable but may come back even worse than before because of the high risk of scar tissue formation (which DC resembles). There is also a procedure performed now in some clinics with enzyme injection therapy performed under a local anaesthetic ( Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto has a website that shows it in action) that is considered by many to be a superior treatment to surgery.
Surgery and enzyme injection therapy may be what you need in the long term to fix DC but if you are at the stage of the first nodule forming on your palm well before it reduces your dexterity, there are other measures you might like to try.
Hand massage and exercise is good for your hands anyway and is definately worth trying if you have the early signs of DC and if you go to a physio for it you might ask them about ultrasound too. Warming your hands up in warm water before you stretch your fingers and hands will probably make them more pliant too and best of all it is something that you can do for yourself.
If you start to notice some nodular swelling on your palm, particularly if you have seen this in an older family member it might be a good idea to start massaging and stretching them as a daily ritual, your hands are far too important to neglect. If the stretching and Self Massage doesn’t prevent DC it may slow down it’s progression and gives you more time before it really becomes problematic.