Hi. My GP says i have Dupuytren. My symptoms include pain in my ring finger and joint and it is a little bit misshaped as i cant straighten it fully. My wrist aches as does my forearm and elbow. I don't have any scaring in my palm. Very often i wake and i cant extend my ring finger but after a cup of tea and some paracetomol i go for it....and eventually i manage to extend it. Youch, but i hate the way it looks and feels and it also interrupts my daily activities like driving, brushing my hair cleaning my teeth etc. I have had it for about 18 months but last year i had to have a lumber epidural for a back problem and i was symptom free for about 6 weeks as the steroids controlled the discomfort. But lately i am in such a lot of discomfort with my hand and went back to my GP. He suggested i rub some ibrufen gel into the affected areas. If i am honest, i am not convinced it is Dupuytren. I had carpal tunnel surgery to both hands in 2013 and prior to that had cervical decompression and fixation with screws and rods in 2012. Last year i had a Basal cell carcinoma removed from my nose and a skin graft to repair.
I guess i am interested to know if my symptoms are familiar and should i be asking for a diagnosis from a Consultant?
Thanks for reading. Your advice would be appreciated.

My advice is to definitely go for a 2nd opinion with a hand specialist. You don't want to be "treating" the wrong cause. As SB said, with DD it is impossible to straighten the finger yourself. But it's such a fickle disease - who knows?

I am a 73 year old white female and have kept my hands busy as much as possible with crocheting and other crafts. I started with what I thought was a "trigger finger" between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then about 4 months later, a knot developed in the palm of the hand below that finger. I thought it was a ganglion cyst because I had one once before. When I was in the doctor's office for a checkup, I mentioned it and he told me it is a Dupuytren Contracture, but not severe enough to have anything done yet. I've been doing research on the internet and experimenting with various oils and massages. I do have a smaller knot that has developed next to the first one, but I think the first one is slightly smaller. (It may be wishful thinking!) My finger is not drawing, just catching occasionally, but I crocheted a tube to wear around that finger to keep it as straight as possible when sleeping (my worst time) and working. It is about the width of a band-aid - from the base of the finger to barely passed the knuckle. I've noticed less pain and the tube doesn't bother me at all. The only time I take it off (I have several now) is when I am going to wash my hands or bathe. I do take it off when I am in a group of people, but that's just so they don't question what's going on.

I'd be interested to see if anyone else has ideas that could benefit others???

Thank you for the encouragement. I had not thought about the sports equipment for my fingers, but it probably wouldn't have helped me anyway since my fingers are VERY slender. In fact, when my then soon to be husband bought my wedding ring, the jeweler asked him if he was marrying a child or adult. LOL Other parts of my body have gotten "larger" but not my hands or feet. Anyway, I can make mine in whatever colors I want and don't have to wait for shipment. Don't think I would want to make them at those prices either. Another plus is - keeping my fingers flexible. I don't give up easily or quickly. Will fight this condition with everything I have as long as possible.