Hello from 44 yr old northern European descent Midwest U.S. male.
I have had Ledderhose on feet for 15+ yrs. Plantar fibroma was surgically removed from left foot 15 yrs ago – returned in <5yrs. Ledderhose also developed in right foot subsequently – not severely restrictive until recent development at right heel. Garrod’s knuckle pads began approx 13yrs ago – is now severe on 8 of 10 knuckles (restricted finger bending / movement of knuckles, with significant pain). Dupuytrens has developed in last 2yrs in right hand (no associated contracture or pain as yet). Also have developed a fibrous mass on left rib area in recent 2-3yrs. I tried Varpamil for 1-2 months with limited results & difficultly of twice / day application per mess and time consumption.
I am interested in suggested aggressive therapy primarily for Garrod’s knuckle pads, secondarily for Ledderhose in feet.
Greetings,
All these localized fibrosis conditions (Ledderhose disease of the feet, Dupuytrens contracture of the hands, and Peyronies disease of the penis) will return after surgery. Your report that your Ledderhose disease returned in less than five years is about average, with many whose problem returns within a year or two.
It is also not uncommon for surgery on one foot to trigger the start of Ledderhose on the other foot.
Many people who come to this site for Dupuytren’s self-treatment have reported to me that their Ledderhose or Peyronies problems improved at the same time. I think this is perhaps due to the similar tissue changes that occur in these three problems.
I have no way to know if your application of our Dupuytrens treatment will be of benefit to your particular Garrod’s pads or feet problem. However, at this point I think you do not have much to lose by at least trying for a short therapeutic trial of perhaps three or four months to learn what benefit might occur.
If you should decide to pursue this line of self-treatment, please send me an email identifying you as the person who is working for Ledderhose and Garrod’s and I will take up a separate conversation with you to offer special insights and experience I have gained over the years. Good luck. TRH
Hi
I am really interested to know if the dupytren’s contracture treatment worked on the Garrods pads.
I have dupuytren’s contracture on my right hand which at the moment isn’t bothering me too much. I have knuckle pads on most of my fingers and they often cause some discomfort. Both of these developed after I had a bad fracture on my elbow that resulted in two operations to insert plates and pins.
Thank you
Greetings Rachel,
Even though your Dupuytren’s contracture might not be a major problem now, please do not neglect it because small problems do not always stay small. I guarantee that your Garrod’s pads will eventually seem like a minor issue compared to what your Dupuytren’s contracture. You will be sorry you did not address the DC when it was a smaller and less aggressive problem.
Part of my work with the Dupuytren’s Contracture Institute is to learn how people respond to our Alt Med treatment. It can be a struggle at times because there are many people who simply do not like to write. For this reason I do not have full communication and responses from everyone, making my information sketchy and anecdotal.
At least 10-20 percent of the folks who have Dupuytren’s contracture tell me they have Garrod’s pads, and perhaps 20-30 percent tell me they also have Ledderhose disease. I have no idea how these statistics compare to established clinical averages, but that is what I hear from my base. Of these, I get reports of successful treatment (moderate to great) from 8-10 people for every one report of failure. Of all people whose Dupuytren’s contracture was eliminated or reduced with Alt Med treatment, no one ever reported it came back; that is a great thing to keep in mind when deciding how you will treat your problem. Considering the eventual recurrence of Dupuytren’s contracture after surgery, and the high rate of side effects from surgery and Xiaflex injections, this side effect-free aspect of Alt Med treatment is important.
There is no way to know if your Dupuytren’s contracture treatment will help your Garrod’s pads. At this point I think you do not have much to lose by at least trying for a short therapeutic trial of perhaps three or four months to learn what benefit might occur.
If you want to use our Alt Med concepts for your problem please send me an email identifying yourself as also having Ledderhose disease and Garrod’s pads. I will take up a separate conversation with you to send special insights and experience about these problems. Good luck. TRH
Hello Dr. Herazy-
I am very similar to the above…. My Ledderhose disease presented about 20 years ago. I had Cryosurgery by Dr. Spilkin back in 2007 and 2008 in NJ which stopped the growth of the plantar fibromas. They flare occasionally but not terrible. I started experiencing the Garrod pads back in 2010. They seemed to get worse during my pregnancy in 2010 and I had considered surgery. I called Dr S. and he referred me to a doctor for Dupuytren’s contracture here in Atlanta. She confirmed that I had Garrods on my knuckle pads and that surgery was not an option. She told me as soon as any lumps presented themselves on my palms to take action with either radio therapy or needling. In the past few months I have noticed very small nodules on my left palm. I realize that time is crucial to react before any contracture starts. I am a big believer in functional medicine – so your theory that the body can heal itself does intrigue me. (I also have multiple nodules on my scalp that flare up and are quite tender). My mother – brother – maternal grandmother and maternal great grandfather all have some sort of symptom (my great grandfather had Dupuytren’s contracture of his palm). I guess I got the lucky gene in our family to have all of the symptoms. I am 47. Thank you so much for your guidance! Wondering which plan is best.
Greetings Denise,
You are young to have such a history of multiple areas of fibromatoses. This does not work in your favor. All the more important that you do as much as possible to keep this tendency for fibrous growth in check and under control as much as possible.
I suggest that you commit to the largest and most aggressive plan you can sustain for at least 3-4 months. This will allow adequate time to see how well your body responds to Alt Med therapy. The more you do the better the response tends to be. Those who dabble and play at self-treatment seldom see the kinds of results that can be promoted by serious Alt Med treatment. 8-10 reports of moderate to marked improvement of Dupuytren’s contracture, as well as other expressions of fibromatosis, for every one report of failure are the kind of results reported back to us.
We even have people whose Garrod’s pads improve, although these reports are sketchy and irregular.
The more that surgical intervention is used in cases of Dupuytren’s contracture, the greater the possible worsening of the fundamental problem. This type of tissue responds to physical intervention by producing more fibrous tissue. For this reason it makes sense to first try to be conservative by supporting your ability to heal and repair these fibrous growths. You will only know if you try.
Let me know if you have more questions about Dupuytren’s contracture. TRH