Hi Dr. Herazy,
I noticed a small bump on my right palm which I expect to be Dupuytren’s Contracture. I am getting it checked out by a Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow but would like to get your insight so I can assess treatment options if my lump does indeed turn out to be Dupuytren’s.
I understand from reading your website that the solutions recommended by the Surgeon’s often have a high recurrence rate for those inflicted. What I haven’t got a sense of from reading this website is the recurrence rate of those who have followed the Alternative Medicine plan outlined by your Institute. I’d like to get an idea of whether the treatment offered by your institute can (for some, if followed correctly) eliminate Dupuytren’s Contracture or if your plan simply reduces the impact of the contracture and allows people to resume activities while managing the contracture.
Long story short, is there a way to get rid of this thing for good? I appreciate your time and insight.
Best,
Karl
Greetings Karl,
Great question about Dupuytrens treatment results with Alternative Medicine, thanks for asking about this important topic.
As I have written and said many times as I communicate with people who have Dupuytren’s contracture, I am unable to conduct the level of research that is commonly associated with large universities, drug manufacturers or hospitals; DCI does not have any way of regulating or monitoring the Alternative Medicine treatment of any individual, nor do we have any way of evaluating outcomes from that treatment other than what I am told by those who use this method of treatment. In fact, no one is obligated to communicate at all with me in regard to any aspect of their care. As a result I only know what I am told voluntarily by people before, during and after their Dupuytrens treatment, and this is sometimes sketchy. For this reason I do not have outcome data that you might expect to use to judge treatment results, as would be available from a billion dollar institution doing a multimillion dollar research project. It is unfortunate that the anecdotal information coming in cannot be independently confirmed for better evaluation. It would be great to be able to generate decisive statistics and numbers that we both are looking for, but that is the best I am able to do at this time.
Having explained all of that, based on the current limitations I work under, there are four important aspects of Dupuytren treatment outcome after using a DCI-based Alternative Medicine treatment plan I can definitely share with you that you can evaluate as you deem appropriate:
1. I receive 10-12 emails and phone calls of a positive nature (people reporting various levels of improvement from total reduction of Dupuytren palm nodules and cords, or full and normal finger mobility, to only slight to moderate changes of those same aspects of previous hand problems), for every one email or phone call of a negative nature (people reporting no improvement of Dupuytren palm nodules and cords, or continued loss of the same degree of finger mobility). Considering how people tend to complain more than they compliment, I take the 10/12:1 ratio of positive to negative reports after DCI treatment to be a strongly positive outcome.
2. As I talk or email to those people who report a negative outcome after using a DCI type Alternative Medicine treatment plan for their Dupuytren problem, I consistently find that they have not used a very large plan or they used their plan incorrectly in one or more fundamental ways that would tend to me make me consider that they did not use their plan correctly or at least not as described on the DCI website or as suggested in the information DCI and Online Natural Medicine provides to these folks. Many times I learn this is done out of financial limitation, other times it is simply due to misunderstanding or obstinance against “being told what to do” although we never prescribe treatment but only make suggestions and offer ideas, or they are simply people who are only looking for a “quick fix” and are not inclined to do the work needed for thorough and effective treatment.
3. While doing this work since 2002 with people who have Dupuytren’s contracture I have not had one person, not one, come back to me a year or two or ten later to report their hand lumps or cords or finger contracture have returned. I am unaware of any recurrence from people who have improved after using the DCI concept of Alternative Medicine treatment to help their recovery from Dupuytren’s contracture. Recurrence might happen after DCI treatment, but I have not been told by any of these folks that their hand problem returned. It is my assumption that if recurrence does happen, I would be told about it by some percentage of these people many times during this many years; this would be especially true if you consider, as I mentioned previously, that people do tend to complain more than they compliment. I also do not ever notice that someone who was ordering products from DCI several years ago will suddenly begin to order therapy products again after a several year absence. This would further tend to support the idea that people do not experience recurrence of their DC problem after this method of treatment.
4. Many of the people who come to the internet for help with their Dupuytrens begin their search only after the recurrence starts after their first hand surgery. Many are alarmed to find their hand problem recurred just six months or a year after surgery, and they are looking for alternatives rather than risk losing more hand tissue to the surgeon. I speculate that approximately half of the people who are following a DCI treatment plan have already had one hand surgery, and occasionally even two or three surgeries. For any of these people to experience improvement, and be able to avoid additional surgery, is truly wonderful and a testament to how the body is able to recover from a serious problem when given a little assistance with Alternative Medicine. Natural recovery after having hand surgery is usually not as satisfactory as those who have never had hand surgery. This reduced outcome makes sense since after hand surgery they have less normal and healthy tissue available.
Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed response, I really appreciate your insight! After my appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon the other day I found out that I have a Ganglion Cyst and not Dupuytren’s Contracture. I had myself convinced that it was Dupuytren’s Contracture due to where the cyst was on my palm (below the pinky and ring finger after the first crease in the palm) and also because I am of Scandinavian descent. I am 28 years old which from my research may be on the younger side to get Duputren’s but nevertheless was convinced. I noticed my cyst after a weekend of tennis and golf which must have been the catalyst for the Ganglion Cyst forming.
While I am relieved that my cyst is not Duputren’s Contracture I was still a bit perplexed that he only remedies the Surgeon recommended was surgery if the cyst got too large or bothersome. I am a firm believer in Alternative Medicine treatment as I have had great success in curing joint pain in my wrist and am still on a search to cure my Ganglion through natural (and less expensive) methods. Any recommendations on what alternative medicines I could do to reduce the size/eliminate my cyst? I realize that this is unrelated to the main of this site but I thought there could be some parallels between Duputren’s Contracture and Ganglion in terms of alternative treatment options.
Again, thanks for your help!
Best,
Karl
Although most of our advice is directed to Dupuytren’s contracture issues, three simple treatment measures for a ganglion cyst are: 1. Ice to the area for 20 minutes each application. 2. Tight compression with tape over the area so as to flatten and re-join the separated layers of tendon tissue. 3. Avoidance and rest from all activities that might be similar to what you did to cause the problem initially.
I am not surprised that your “$150 an office call doctor” could not take the time to give you this helpful information. Surgery is the name of the game and if there is no surgery, quickly on to the next patient.
Good luck to you. TRH
Hi
A couple of questions:
1. Can knitting exacerbate Dupuytren’s contracture?
2. Can weight lifting/crossfit exacerbate Dupuytren’s contracture?
My bump is very nascent, I am a 55 years old female with no risk factors and would like to control progression as much as I can.
Yael
Greetings Yael,
My observation after communicating with many thousands of individuals about their Dupuytren’s contracture in the last 15 years is it is not the activity, per se, that causes or even exacerbates Dupuytren’s contracture; more important to the causation or worsening of DC is how a particular activity is performed. The classic activity associated with the onset of Dupuytren’s contracture is playing a musical instrument, primarily the piano, guitar and violin. Even though each of these is played in an entirely different way, there is a common factor of finger-to-elbow stress and fatigue that occurs in many professional players. It is not unusual for a professional player to work 4-12 hours a day for years at their chosen instrument, many developing unique and damaging habits resulting in myofascial (muscular and connective tissue) stress that precipitates and exacerbates Dupuytren’s contracture.
Recently I talked with a professional helicopter pilot with 42 years experience, starting as a 21 YO draftee in the Viet Nam War continuing into the commercial field. He related how he spent years clutching vibrating controls in a “death grip.” He recently developed Dupuytren’s contracture. The activity was far different, but the upper extremity stress was the same.
My advice to anyone who has a occupation or avocation that involves prolonged use of the upper extremities (fingers to elbows) is to lighten up. Keep the fingers, hands and forearms as relaxed as possible; avoid excessive muscular tension. Frequently observe yourself and evaluate how you are doing your “thing” whatever it might be. This is indeed very difficult, but even more so necessary, for musicians to change their technique of holding the bow, curling the fingers, fingering the pick, or whatever is involved with the activity in question.
Back to knitting, weightlifting and crossfit exercising, Yael. I believe the most dangerous of these in regard to Dupuytren’s contracture, oddly enough, is knitting. This is so because it is far easier to do prolonged knitting than prolonged bench presses. I have never knitted, but I can imagine it would be easy for someone to become lost in a flurry of finger activity during which muscular tension might develop similar to what happens to a violin player or surgeon who overtaxes the upper extremities. I am an oil painter, and my technique suffers if I hold the brushes too tightly which seems to be a nasty habit that is difficult to control.
You specifically asked about exacerbation of Dupuytren’s contracture, and not causation. I believe anything, drug or activity, that can cause DC can exacerbate it.
It seems to be human nature to tense the body as we get try harder to do better and do more; like our higher concentration mandates greater control and exactness that requires tightened muscles. My theory is that this muscle tension reduces not only blood flow in, but lymphatic drainage out, and that this is the mechanism that precipitates Dupuytren’s contracture. To complete my thoughts on your interesting question, once developed, Dupuytren’s contracture could be exacerbated by the heavy compression of weight lifting; I always advise lifters with DC to heavily pad the palm lump with some kind of donut-shaped device to prevent compressing that tissue.
Hope this helps you deal with your Dupuytren’s contracture. TRH
Hi, i am a 16 year old female with concerns about Dupuytren’s contracture, I love helping my grandfather around the house and yard, but the other day when i was working i noticed a small ball like bump on the inside of my palm, right under my ring finger, it is painless, unless i put a little bit of pressure on it, i researched what it could of been and it told me it could be a Ganglion Cyst, but the information i read up on Dupuytren’s Contracture, made me believe that this may be what it is.
Greetings Kyla,
From the information you provided I cannot be certain if you have Dupuytren’s contracture or not.
You are extremely young to have Dupuytren’s contract. For this reason I am inclined to think that the work you are doing for your grandfather (what a great person you are!) caused you to abuse your hand leading to a cyst, blister or inflammation of some kind. This is most likely. However, with Dupuytren’s contracture anything is possible. If your ancestors trace back to northern Europe (UK and Scandinavian countries) or your family has a history of Dupuytren’s contracture, Peyronie’s disease or Ledderhose disease, this could indicate a genetic predisposition that would explain a very early onset.
You need to determine if this is Dupuytren’s contracture or not. I suggest you ask your grandfather a few questions about your family history, and go to your family doctor to have your hand examined. Good luck, young lady. TRH
I had an operation for Dupuytren’s contracture over a year ago on my little finger. I underwent occupational therapy for a year but the little finger has curled downward again.
Without having another operation if I stretch the finger back daily can I straighten the finger out or will this just aggravate the finger more?
Thank you. Judy b.
Greetings Judy B.,
Recurrence of Dupuytren’s contracture is very common, almost something you can count on, after hand surgery. Did the surgeon explain this before the operation? For some people Dupuytren’s recurrence takes place up to ten years after surgery, for others it can start in a few months; from what I am told by people most recurrence happens within 2-3 years after hand surgery; recurrence in a year is rather common. This short period of relief from the Dupuytren’s contracture seems to make the hand surgery not worth the pain, risk, and trouble involved.
Stretching alone is seldom effective. Dupuytren’s contracture is such a stubborn and tenacious problem that more help than that is needed. DCI is in the middle of creating an hour-long video program about hand exercise, stretching and massage that should be used with a treatment plan of internal and external therapies designed to assist removal of the Dupuytren’s contracture fibrous tissue.
Check out the DCI website for information you can use to help your Dupuytren’s contracture. TRH