Dupuytren's Disease and Trigger Fingers

Sorry to hear that. I have Dupuytren's in both hands, the disease does not progress at the same rate in the hands. I had the operation to release the cord in my right hand about 5 years ago and it's been perfect since then. I have also found that it has not progressed in my left hand and i put that down to the daily guitar practice. The cord is very visible in my left hand but i can still flatten the hand without pain. So all is not lost 

I had trigger finger of the right middle finger which would be sore and get stuck making playing problematic. After a steroid injection last year, the trigger finger went back to normal after 2 weeks which was great. However it is coming back again this year and I may need another injection if it  gets worse. I’m trying to avoid surgery for as long as possible. Hope this helps you 

Hi Debbie,  I was diagnosed with Dupuytrens about 10 years ago in the chord connected to my RH pinky finger.  I opted for the needle aponeurotony treatment which did release the chord, however I later fell and broke my pinky finger which caused the dupuytren to return. Since the RH pinky does not effect my playing,  I opted to leave as is based on advice of my hand surgeon after months of physical therapy.  It has not changed in five years. One year ago,  I noticed the very beginning of a Contraction in my "m" finger of my right hand, I had NA done and it released the chord and so far so good one year later. 

Sad to hear of you troubles. I have struggled with tendinitis for decades plus chondromalacia (bruising of cartilage) in my right index finger. Heat therapy has been a huge help. I wear Gerbings electric gloves for 1-2 hours before playing and it help a lot. https://www.gerbing.com/collections/battery-heated-gloves/products/gerbing-s7-mens-battery-heated-gloves-7v-battery?variant=44873734816035

Hi Debbie.  I had DC in the tendons of my LH ring and pinky fingers about 6 years ago.  Noticeable but not yet disabling.  I was told at the time that it could progress or it might never get any worse.  Over the course of about a year and a half, the daily stretching exercises I incorporated as part of my pre-practice warm-ups, stopped the progression completely and there has been no recurrence.  In the beginning, the LH stretch was painful, as the stretch was actually, bit by bit, breaking down the cartilage that had formed around the tendons.  But over time the pain subsided and the tendons completely recovered and I’ve had no sign of recurrence since.  Nonetheless, I continue the stretching routine daily.   Best of luck with your recovery efforts.  

Hi Debbie,

  You’d never know I had DC to look at the palm of my left hand.   If I rub the tendon that leads to my little finger (where the bulk of the DC was) it feels rather hard, and there’s what looks like a small indentation in my palm about a half inch below where the finger joins the hand, which is likely where the stretching broke up the most cartilage build-up on the tendon.  But I now have, and have had for several years now, complete, unhindered and pain free mobility of the hand and fingers.  Regarding the stretching exercise, I extend my arm straight out in front of me and position the hand and fingers at 90 degrees to the arm (pointed toward the ceiling).  I then place the palm of my other hand behind the fingers and slowly pull the hand toward me.  You should feel some discomfort as that compromised tendon is forced to stretch and pull against the contracture.  I would pull until it hurt and then hold it there for about 30 seconds, release for 15 seconds, then do it again, repeating for a total of 3 reps.  You can also shift the position of the hand from right to left while continuously holding the stretch, as opposed to pointing straight up at the ceiling, as this helps to increase mobility and is great for stretching the tendons in the forearm at the same time.  Note:  after this routine I do the same exercise except on the repeat I point the hand toward the floor.   This won’t help with your DC, but it does do a good job of stretching the tendons in the forearm, which I do as a tendonitis preventative measure.  Best of luck with your recovery!