Tag Archives: palm of the hand

Dupuytren Cords

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Dupuytren cord causes finger contractures

Dupuytren contracture is thought to be primarily a genetic condition that mainly affects men over 50 years of age, with more aggressive forms starting at an earlier age.  Women also develop Dupuytren cords, but at a lesser rate until age 80 when the occurrence is about equal to men. The process involves excess collagen material that creates Dupuytren cords in the palm of the hand, most often affecting the 4th and 5th fingers.   These cords are nodular in two out of three cases, displaying from one to three nodules when present.

Onset occurs as a palm nodule or bump that many assume is only a callus.  Gradually, over a few or many months, the Dupuytren cord becomes more prominent and the palmar fascia thickens. As the process continues the overlying skin puckers, dimples, and roughens. The thick cords contract slowly over time, drawing the fingers into the palm and may bring adjacent fingers together. The ring and little finger are most commonly affected and usually are affected first when other fingers are also involved.  As is typical of similar conditions in which excess collagen is deposited (Ledderhose disease, Peyronie’s disease, Garrod’s pads) the progression is often erratic, arbitrary, continues in spite of medical treatment, and has no obvious cause.

Dupuytren cords treated with Alternative Medicine

Dupuytren cords are composed of collagen connective tissue right under the skin, in a layer called the palmar fascia.  As the Dupuytren contracture progresses the cords begin to thicken and shorten, causing them to develop a wider display of nodules and folds of thick tissue on the surface of the palm.  Tightening and shortening of the Dupuytren cords pulls the involved fingers down toward the palm in the characteristic hand posture of Dupuytren contracture.

Dupuytren’s contracture is more likely to be found in those who also have epilepsy (anticonvulsant medications are suspected to be the stimulus), diabetes, alcoholism, HIV, liver cirrhosis, and smoking. Trauma and exposure to chronic hand vibration may also exacerbate this condition.

Needle aponeurotomy or more aggressive surgical intervention are the only current medical methods offered to temporarily alleviate some of the outward appearance of Dupuytren contracture.  In spite of having both needle aponeurotomy and surgery, 50% of patients who have either procedure will still experience a recurrence of the palm nodules and Dupuytren cords within two to three years.

There is another option to consider using to slow down or even reduce the size, shape and  density of Dupuytren cords.   The Dupuytren Contracture Institute has specialized since 2002 in the use of Alternative Medicine therapies and techniques that are found to be successful in perhaps 60-80% of cases of Dupuytrens without risk of worsening or side-effects.  Click here for helpful ideas to start a Dupuytren treatment plan with Alternative Medicine.

What is the Best Dupuytren’s Treatment?

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No single therapy works best to reduce Dupuytren contracture

Every week, without fail, some poor soul who has received a diagnosis about his palm lump finally comes to the internet and eventually writes me asking, “What is the best way to treat Dupuytren contracture?”

A common question, and a good one, designed to get to the core of the matter.

Although I would be delighted to reply with the name of one particular therapy or one special way to treat Dupuytrens, I cannot do that.

After working on the Alternative Medicine solution to this problem since 2002, I have found the best way to treat Dupuytren contracture is to use everything you can throw against it.  You must deliver a wide assortment of concentrated nutritional therapies to support your immune response from a variety of directions so that your body can repair and eliminate the finger contractures and bump on the palm of the hand that reduce your hand dexterity.  It is that kind of problem.

Many have tried to find it, but eventually come to realize there is no one therapy that is a magic bullet against Dupuytren contracture.  There are no wonder cures, no nifty little tricks that will allow your finger to move freely and easily again. Dupuytren Contracture Institute has found the best treatment is the one that stimulates the tissue to heal and repair the area on the palm of the hand.  For each person this seems to be an individual assortment of different therapies.

Dupuytren treatment using Alternative Medicine is best to start

Each person must educate himself about the hand contracture problem, read about the different Alternative Medicine therapies and what they might do to assist that healing process, determine if there are any indictors that one or more might be indicated, and then consider the time, effort and cost involved.  Lastly, it is necessary to determine how important it is to you to regain the full use of your hand.   Based on all this, you should feel comfortable with a plan of action that might have to be followed for several months as you go about doing all you can to improve your body’s ability to heal and repair the hand contracture of Dupuytren.

Those who eventually get good results with their Dupuytren problem are the tough and determined people who just keep going after it day after day with as much therapy as they can manage to use, until they seem to overwhelm the dense fibrous tissue into submission and eventual elimination.  Slowly they gain on it, with the hand nodules becoming softer and smaller; slowly these areas of finger and hand contracture come around.  Some people get fantastic results and some get only moderate results – very few who work hard at it do poorly.  There usually is progress to be made if you work at it.

So, the question again is, “What is the best way to treat Dupuytren contracture?”      the answer appears to be for each person to do all that you can for as long as you can until your body overwhelms the Dupuytren nodules and lumps that cause the fingers to draw up to the palm.  To do less is to allow Dupuytren contracture to ruin your life.

Dupuytren Cord

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Dupuytren hand contracture caused by collagen cord

Dupuytren contracture is a hand condition that primarily affects adult males, in which the thin layers of connective tissue (fascia) immediately below the skin thickens and shortens, causing dense cords and nodules to be seen and felt on the palm.  The tight and shortened Dupuytren cord on the palm of the hand cause the fingers to contract and draw down toward the palm.

Question/Answer section: Natural Dupuytren contracture treatment

The disease most often starts with a palm lump that resembles a knotted callus.  This lump on the palm of the hand is most commonly found at the base of the ring or little finger; the middle finger is only involved in severe cases of Dupuytren contracture.  Gradually a prominent cord develops as the fibrous tissue cells of the palm multiply causing the tissue to thicken.  As this process continues below the skin surface, the skin above is forced to distort by puckering, denting, dimpling and becoming rough.  Over time these each thick cord contracts to slowly pull each involved finger down toward the palm.  Progression of finger flexion and loss of hand dexterity is difficult to predict in regard to speed and degree of hand contracture.

This same process of excess of soft tissue thickening, contracture of tissue and development of cord-like structure can also affect the soles of the feet, known as Ledderhose disease.   This process in the feet will cause a tightening of the skin and curling down of the toes similar in appearance and consequence to what happens in Dupuytren contracture.  It is noted statistically that when Ledderhose disease develops in the feet, any associated Dupuytren contracture that is present will be more severe than average.

The Dupuytren Contracture Institute has specialized since 2002 in the use of Alternative Medicine therapies and techniques that are found to be successful in perhaps 60-80% of cases of Dupuytrens without risk of worsening or side-effects.  Contact Dupuytren Contracture Institute for helpful ideas about how to start a Dupuytren treatment plan with Alternative Medicine.