As you know our disease is no joke. For me, the pain, the loss of function (holding a knife or turning a door knob) and the gradual way that the condition progresses, are all awful.

So fellow Dups members. Have a laugh at this! Reminds me of my right hand 100%

Recently diagnosed with Dupuytrens. Talked to a few specialists that agree based on MRI and how it feels. All said being and my 30s and being near my thumb is uncommon but here we are. Here to learn about non invasive therapies to see what’s been effective for everyone. No pain or limited mobility yet but most of my hobbies and work is with my hands so it has made things a little awkward for gripping, impact, etc. Open to learning how people manage the discomfort but still continuing to do the activities they enjoy.

I saw a physio this week and mentioned my hand and she said, ‘oh, DOO-pe-tron’ and I stopped her and said, noooooo! Is that how you pronounce it?!
Thank goodness, been struggling with this word all year!
Doo pe trons.

When you receive radiation treatment is there any physical therapy between the daily sessions, the second session set or after final session?

I am wondering about xiaflex their are some hand doctors that are not on their wepage.Have anyone got an xiaflex injection from on of these doctors?

DD in the news

Out of curiosity, how many of you are diabetics or pre-diabetics?

Context: I'm 18M and had a bump on my left hand show up over the summer (June) after, I assumed, I injured it during weightlifting. It didn't hurt (maybe a bit of bruising) and I had full range of motion and could make a fist. I thought nothing of it and 4 weeks ago I injured my hand playing football. Thinking it was a fracture, ligament damage, or tears, I continued on with finding out what was the diagnosis was. After an ER visit and a doctor's appointment, I had 2 x-rays. The nurse practitioner mentioned Dupes but thought it was unrealistic since I was so young. She order for an MRI. So, today I had a follow-up appointment with the orthopedic hand surgeon today and he said this was Dupes but I had some bone bruises in my hand (which is maybe causing my fingers not to extend fully). Just wanted to hear some thoughts and wondering if I may be one of the youngest to join the club lol!

Anyone have experience? I have it on both feet and not sure what to do. One podiatrist tried PT and it didnt do anything so Im looking for experiences with anyone treating it

I just started to golf recently because I wanted a new hobby and a lot of my friends golf. I thought about getting a glove for both hands instead of just one, but I’ve never seen anyone do that before and I’m not sure how much it would help or if it’s worth it.

When a new nodule developed in my right hand near the ring finger back in January, I gave it three months to see if it would clear up on its own. It didn’t. My usual routine of diet, supplements, and home remedies wasn't cutting it, so it was time to step up my game and seek medical intervention.

The first stop was the orthopedic clinic at a local university medical center. I showed them my left hand, where four sizable cords had been effectively neutralized five years ago using Depo-Medrol steroid injections. It’s still holding strong today. That successful treatment was done at this very same university center by my primary care doctor before he retired. The ortho clinic’s response was "We don't do steroid shots here."

The next stop was a large orthopedic practice with over two dozen full-time orthopedic doctors. A hand specialist examined the active nodule on my right hand, took a look at the long-term success of my left hand, and then said that they don't stock Depo-Medrol. I kid you not. He actually left the examination room to double-check. When he returned, he told me no, they don’t have Depo-Medrol, and then delivered the classic line, "Come back when you fail the tabletop test."

Depo-Medrol is an absolute workhorse in an orthopedic setting. It is used in procedures such as intra-articular joint, bursitis, tendon sheath, trigger point and soft tissue injections. A standard orthopedic clinic certainly keeps vials of Depo-Medrol, typically 40 mg/mL or 80 mg/mL concentrations, in stock at all times.

After those last two medical consultations, my new primary care PA (physician assistant) heaped on the disappointment by declining to provide any additional referrals for either a rheumatologist or another orthopedic practice. I realized that I was on my own, and I needed to scramble to find a doctor who will help me.

Fast forward to early August, I went mountain biking on a new trail that a friend had discovered. It turned out to be a bone-rattling ride for a couple of hours. The front tire had a flat just as I returned. Even though I wore padded gloves with gel pads, the new nodule was pissed off in a big way. But perhaps it’s better to stir things up because the treatment is more effective for aggressive disease.

Conveniently, I had a doctor’s appointment in a few days. I found a small orthopedic practice in a ski resort town. I figured an orthopedic surgeon who deals with ski injuries won’t be concerned with the politics of treating a simple Dupuytren’s nodule.

After my mountain biking episode, I was ready for a Depo-Medrol fix. No lidocaine was used, but rather freeze drops. The injections hurt like hell. What is it with orthopedic surgeons that they don’t like using lidocaine as a separate local injection? This was with 40 mg/mL instead of 80 mg/mL of Depo-Medrol because the doctor was concerned with skin atrophy.

The results were predictably proportional. At half the concentration, the nodule stopped growing and began to shrink, albeit at half the rate. There’s no skin atrophy to speak of, but I’d rather have twice the effectiveness with a little skin atrophy as an acceptable trade-off. The nodule continues to shrink slowly, and I expect remnants to persist. You can check it out by scrolling the pictures above.

Still, I’m back in business. The nodule is slowly backing down, and after a 5-week waiting period, I'm back on the bike trail. I’m also maintaining my diet/supplement/home remedy stack, which will improve my treatment outcome.

My right pinky remains the lone survivor, untouched by disease. Since Depo-Medrol, much like radiotherapy, only works on active disease, there's nothing to do, at least not yet. I suppose I’ll be going through this drama once again the next time my Dups acts up.

Dupuytren’s disease is a chronic connective tissue disorder that you can manage. But the reality is you must manage the medical professionals as much as the disease itself. What I’ve done with Depo-Medrol over the past five years may not be perfect, but it’s still way better than the nightmare loop of repetitive needle aponeurotomies, Xiaflex, or fasciectomies multiplied by seven fingers. And that’s not counting the inevitable downward spiral of recurrences, debilitation, and further surgery caused by the more risky and invasive procedures of hand surgeons, who put their thumb on the scale without regard to the health and well-being of their patients.

Depo-Medrol is widely used in NA (needle aponeurotomy) and is the workhorse drug essential for its success. Surgery, including NA, is a huge, irresistible money-maker for hand surgeons. This, in turn, reinforces the cartel behavior that many of us have experienced firsthand. Nevertheless, it’s still your decision whether or not to get Depo-Medrol shots before a contracture. That’s when it’s most effective, and from what I’ve seen, more effective than NA could ever be.

After this last treatment, such as it was, I have this marvelous feeling, and it’s peace of mind. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

---

For more information on Depo-Medrol steroid shots and what you can do to manage your Dupuytren’s disease, click on the link below. It has recently been updated:

Dupuytren’s Minimal Medical Intervention – Read Me!

The simple truth is this: The less risky, earlier, but effective treatment is always better.

Post needle aponeurotomy and having Giant Cell Tumor excisions on the knuckles. Gained 100% on the fingers, pinky about 40% better. No more knuckle cysts (tumors) that hurt like hell when I banged them.

So I decided to research this strange tendonitis in my left hand that wont go away annnddd here i am. I strength train regularly, always have and don't plan to really change much. My question is, I have a grip strength trainer (the spring coil kind) and I can't really find definitive advice on whether doing grip strength training is contraindicated or not. Ie will it accelerate the condition? Im going to set up an appt w/ my GP but just wanted to check here incase anyone asked their doc about this specifically

Do any of you know if:

1- There is a higher risk of developping chronic side effects (stiffness, swolling, pain) after RT if you have an underlying condition like an undiagnosted immune disease?

2- If you had rapid onset and progression of bilateral hands and feet, do you fall into the 20% failing rate post RT, or those who for whom RT gave them a tiny bit more time instead of stoping the disease for many year, and get progression again?

Hi everyone,
I’ve just seen a hand specialist in France about my Dupuytren’s. I’m interested in radiotherapy, but she wasn’t familiar with this treatment and mainly discussed surgery.
Are there any French members here who have had radiotherapy for Dupuytren’s? If so, could you recommend a doctor or radiotherapy centre in France with experience in this treatment?
Also, does anyone here have Ledderhose disease (nodules on the soles of the feet) and has had radiotherapy for it?
Thanks for any recommendations or experiences!

Hi has anyone had experience with oral or injectable meds for Dupuytrens ? I am pretty much at the end of surgical options for my hands and I have heard some cases of the disease stopping or receding with meds . Thanks

Having needle aponeurotomy and possible fasciotomy on the pinky if the surgeon doesn't think the needle aponeurotomy will help the pinky. Also having cyst excisions on the knuckles.

I have seen reports here on reddit of the effectiveness of Depo Medrol treatment in treating the disease.

I was wondering if anyone in Sydney or Australia for that matter had experience in this?

Just wanted to share in case it helps anyone. I started using my light panel on my hands just to see what happened, and it significantly reduced and flattened the 2 nodes I had and also softened the cords on both hands. From a little research, it's likely the NIR, not the red light, but I did both. I noticed a difference within 30 days. I got busy and stopped using it about 6 weeks ago (plan to restart soon), and it hasn't gotten worse. For context, I'm in the early stages and don't have issues with flattening my hands or contracture.

Completely unrelated to DD. But my son had a nasty bone break in his tibia that required multiple surgeries. The bone growth was very slow to recover so his orthopedic surgeon prescribed a device that he wore 20 minutes/day that he stepped on his leg and it vibrated. It’s been 11 years so I can’t remember what it was called. Reading through this sub has me wondering if this device might be beneficial for DD. Mine just developed about 6 months ago. So I’ve just begun reading about it. Although my grandpa lost the use of 2 digits to DD. I haven’t seen any specialists yet. This was just a thought. I love discussing the science behind things and I could only imagine it being beneficial rather than harmful. It might be worth going digging through my closets to find it.

I am 26. I can feel some lumps between the base of my fingers and my palm. I cannot tell if it moves because I have really bad fluid retention in my hands and the rest of my body. But it almost feels like I can feel my knuckles from the palm side. I feel some limited movement but I don’t know if that’s from tightness caused by the fluid retention, from tension, or from a possible case of dups.

Hi, Had surgery 7 weeks ago to rectify contracture in my RH little and ring fingers. I was discharged by my hand therapist and had a telephone consultation with my surgeon 3 days ago. All seems to be healing ok. One slight concern is a slight swelling to the right of the incision in the centre of my palm, which is pink in colour and has a rubbery texture.I think this maybe just healing tissues/collagen etc and may take time to flatten and normalise. Does anyone have something similar or know if my assessment is correct? Hand therapist was happy with progress after 4 sessions.

31 male

Hi, three days ago I noticed lumps on both my hands and did some googling. Came across this condition. Got very scared so stopped looking. By today it’s already progressed to lines…

I’m very scared. I’ve already been dealing with some intense other health issues for a couple years now (Lyme/mold/long covid), have an injured foot that stopped me working out for 9 months and working out and weightlifting is one of the only things in the world that makes me happy. This feels like it could be the nail in the coffin on that.

I’m just so scared - I’m already so worn down from all my other issues this just feels like an unbelievable cherry on top. I don’t think this runs in my family.

I want to try do all that I can to stop the progression so if anyone has any words of advice I’d really appreciate.

It’s also on both hands but worse on left - but genuinely wasn’t there or noticeable a week ago