Just saw that you had mentioned that paper yourself in one of your other posts. Sorry.

Wolfgang

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Hi craggy, did you the paper by Logan AJ, Mason G, Dias J, Makwana N. "Can rock climbing lead to Dupuytren's disease?" Br J Sports Med. 39 (2005) p 639-44 ? They find nearly 20 percent of rock climbers with Dupuytren. This is based on a questionnaire and it might well be that predominantly those with Duputyren's returned the questionnaire but still a high percentage, at least for an UK average.

Wolfgang

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Hi to Bocro, BIGFRANK and all,

Not sure if anyone will read this after so long, but it would be good to know how you lot are getting on.
22 weeks after surgery and still wearing the night splint, I think it probably helps. Had the op on the little finger which now seems happy at stay at approx. 30 deg. Other fingers on that hand are now also slightly bent.
Still can't make a tight fist but I have to say that with each month there is a slight improvment. I want to get back to playing tennis, (badly) but the hand and wrist are still not fully strong and I do get pain if I over use it.

Does anyone know if tennis, for example, would be beneficial or detrimental to the long term healing process?
Also, how important is long term massage? I stopped massaging my finger and hand after 3 months. Even though I'm working and using my hand as much as I can, would massage still help? So many questions!
I am seeing the surgeon in a couple of weeks and will have plenty of questions for him!

Generally, the future for my hand doesn't look too good and I'm sure I'll need more treatment at some point.
Next time I will ask about NA. Why is it always 'next time' ?

Incidentally, since my last post I've had my bicycle nicked, a storm fried my computer, modem and scanner, the VCR has packed up and today my motorbike broke down outside the dentist. Deep joy.

Thanks for asking Bocro, hope you are all doing well.

Dave

Hi Daves /Bocro . Adelaide Australia calling. Dont dispare but I can only report in my case. I've had approx 15 hand operations in the past l5 odd years infact just had stiches out after a recent cut and tuck . I have also had 4 grafts .My plastic surgeon recommended exercise and stretching , but slowly and not with aggression . I spent time with a physio who specialized in hands who gave me a plasterseen type product ,which I squeezed to increase the strength.This enabled me to strenghthen all the muscles in the hand, unfortunately because you haven't used your hand there is muscle wasting. Once you are strong enough even the simple task like lifting a house brick up and down resting and repeating a number of times will help.To create a closed fist on the injured hand I use the fingers of the other hand to gradually force your fingers one a a time to your palm and hold and relax , repeat a few times .Importantly do this slowly until you succeed. I have to do this every day. just a couple of times . I basically have full use and strength in both hands. Dont forget also stretch your hands palm down on flat surface . Try using a Viteman E creme This should help with softening of your scare tissue.Simple exercise like imatating playing a piano helps with flexability.I have a new plastic surgeon and he does not wait until the finger deviates too much, which means minior day sergery proceedure .I hope this helps ,but you have to work at it. Regards Barry.

Didn't realize how to post to the main room until after readig a few of the first posts here...
38 yr old Diabetic, in WI, USA. Went to family doctor with trigger finger symptoms in right ring finger last December.
It ws initially diagnosed as trigger finger, and arthritis. Ibuprophon and warm water soaks ws prescribed. After a month of that, i went to the Hand and Upper Extremity Center of Northeastern Wisconsin (yes, that's even the name on their sign out front...) the doctor there looked at my hand for a few minutes and asked me a few questions and diagnosed D.C. right off the bat. I came home looked it up and sure as heck, everything mentioned was problems and symptoms i had. He originally gave me a cortisone shot in my palm, which worked after a few days to get the movement and pain out of my finger, but as soon as it wore off, it all came back. He did surgery for the D.C. May 3, 2007, stitches came out ten days later, and therapy started then. Scar tissue had already started forming to the tendons at tha point. a month after surgery the scar tissue was pulling my finger in, and therapy with heat packs softened it up enough to straighten ou my hand and it felt like it was totally new. But as soon as the warmth wore off, the scar tissue tightened up as did the tendon it had adhered to. July 13th he did a more extensive surgery. My original 3 zigzag scar, ws now a 5 zigzag scar which started in the large section of my ring finger and continued down to the base of my palm. Therapy started the very next day. My finger pulling in has healed up better, it still has a slight curve to it, but i can flatten it out with almost no pain now, the problem is the swelling in the large section of my finger hasnt gone down, the tip is still slightly numb, and soem swelling near the fingers in my palm is makin it hard to near impossible to make a fist. i too need to use my other hand to force the fingers down. Soem muscle loss in the hand and grip with non use, or full flexing to a tight fist now. i see the doc again august 16th, and i know he wont release me back to work until i can make a full fist. Ive got about 6-8 weeks of disability left, after that work just lets me go. so i'm hopin for soemthing that'll wrk... I've tried Vitamin E tablets, both orally and takign the tablet and squeezing the gel onto my palm and figner, but havent really noticed and softening of the scar tissue. My next thought is to mix some Vitamin-E oil with hot water and soak my hand in it for soem time... The therapists keep saying its gettign better, but I'm just not seeing it...

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So! I wasn't far wrong in my thinking, after all! Megan stirred the pot a little, and got the bees a-buzzing. Perhaps she reckons there's not much humour on this forum. It's all a bit serious, and doleful, and people want to tell their terrible (and some are) tales, and share their slow recoveries, and on-and-on ...

So - I'm off for a couple of week's climbing (while I still can - it probably does the DC no good, but who knows) on a great little Greek island, so, I'm afraid, the Washington Monument at 3.00 is impossible at the mo.

Vikings were certainly into long-distance sailing, but not rock-climbing, which was, like many other leisure activities, a Victorian invention (Napes Needle, Lake District UK, climbed by Haskett-Smith 188?) I'm sure the Norwegians do a bit.

Not so much trauma associated with climbing (unless you fall, but still try clinging on - that doesn't do hands/arms/shoulders much good) but trauma certainly seems to affect DC. My sister had her little finger straightened fine, broke her wrist, and after the plaster came off found that finger back to 90deg again

Cheers R

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