Hi there!

I was washing my hands and noticed a bump on my right hand - the ring finger - under the skin. It feels as if it is on the bone. Then I noticed the same bump on the left hand. I have no problems with either hand, or pain. Just these bumps underneath. They are small but there. I searched the web and found this site.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Mike

PS - I am 53.

Will a doctor be able to tell what it is? Is the progression something that can be forecast? Thanks!

If it is this disease is there treatment for it? If progression is not able to be determined then what will a doctor be able to do except rule out that it is not anything else?

This has me worked up.

Sorry for all the questions.

Hi Callie and hi Mike59,
I also have what appear to be nodules, with no contracture yet. I say "appear" because the term nodule was just called into question by my physical therapist. Early last year my GP rather casually diagnosed DC in both my hands. He did not make a big deal of it even though he has in the past been a hand surgeon and has performed surgeries due to the disease. I couldn't take the diagnosis sitting down though and went to see a hand specialist on my own, whom I held in high regard. His suggestion was to wait, the same position my GP had taken. I'm still not at ease and continue to seek all the info I can get via internet including this forum. Today I visited a physical therapist recommended by my GP (probably because I keep bugging him about it) to possibly get ultrasound (US) therapy which has been suggested ([url=Dr. Theresa Martez' blogspot - http://naturopathicadvantage.wordpress.c....wordpress.com/[/url] ). The PT did not think US was called for and thought deep massage could break up the bumps. He called it pre-Dupuytren's, "not necessarily Dupuytren's." Now, after that session the worst of the "nodule/bump" does seem a bit less pronounced.

Callie, your comment ("the more you mess with Dupuytren's you could increase the chance to stimulate activity") now alarms me! Up until now I was of the mindset that early treatment would be better than to wait until my hand starts becoming a claw, but now...? To the credit of the PT he did not recommend other treatment when I asked if he knew about needle aponevrotomy (NA) until contacture had started, so he did seem to have some background knowledge of the specifics. As my doctor warned me, and, apparently in line with your recommendation, stretching is not a good idea either, because, considering we are dealing with scar tissue, stretching could encourage more scar tissue. US may be called for when there is contrature present as it has been shown to reduce scar tissue, so wait. As for nodules, I'm guessing they are not scar tissue.

Oddly enough, last year, what first got my attention was not any bump but a hard ridge crossing my palm from butt toward forefinger. There were no noticeable bumps. That is still the condition of my left hand. (Mike59, I was 53 then myself.) My right feels tight but still passes the flat hand test while there is no tightness in the left. I have inquired with an NA treating physician in Idaho via e-mail as to how long one should wait before seeking that procedure, but with no response from him. It seems clear to me that NA is in my future and I will happily pay for that when the time comes (providing that private pay is still legal, but that's for another forum; still, that topic adds a certain urgency to my hindrance efforts).

Pardon me for rambling about my experience, but, my early feelings were akin to those of yours, Mike59.

Dalton

Edited 03/16/10 23:25

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The prudent thing to do about Dupuytren's is to do nothing until the contracture is about 30 degrees. The reason is that the more you mess with Dupuytren's you could increase the chance to stimulate activity. If you have a ganglion cyst it could go away on its own.

Is the nodule soft, or hard? Where exactly is it located?

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