dear dr. herazy, 

my name is mark c, and  i have a question concerning my hands.  on my left hand, immediately under my ring finger, it look’s like i have a cyst! very hard to open my hand fully. in the middle of the hand i see something like a tendon sticking out and it appears to be  connected to the cyst. i also have a little one starting on my left hand. i can’t fully extend my left hand flat out because of the cyst.  i have heard there are alternative procedures for my ailment, like cortisone shots, etc. i do not know if i have a cyst or dupuytrens.

thank you for your time,

 mark c.

Greetings Mark C,

Thank you for writing to ask about the problem with your hand.

Based on the way you describe your hand problem, and the fact that you did not say so, I will assume that you have not seen a doctor at this time for the problem you are having with your hand.  This is a mistake.  You should see a doctor in your area about your hand so you will know exactly what the problem is that is causing your complaints.

Further, since you are having a problem of a mass located near the base of your ring finger and trouble flattening your hand and cannot open your hand fully, along with the appearance of what looks like a tendon connected to the palm lump, your description does make it sound like you have Dupuytren’s contracture.   

If it turns out that you do have Dupuytren’s contracture it would be helpful to determine if you can increase the ability of your body to remove the dense fibrous tissue that is developing in both of your hands by using Alternative Medicine methods as are outlined on the DCI website.  Many people find improvement after aggressively following a plan of treatment for a few months of self-administered care.   If after this time you do not see improvement in your problem then you can always consult with a surgeon to discuss hand surgery, although Dupuytren surgery is always eventually followed by recurrence of the same problem – usually within a few years.

Once you know the exact cause of the problem you will know how to proceed.    TRH