I have just been diagnosed with Dupuytren's. I had trigger finger surgery last fall and have developed Dupuytren's since then, in the finger that was operated on (middle finger, right hand). I've spent the last hour or so browning this forum to learn about the disease because I know practically nothing.

After the trigger finger surgery, I couldn't straighten my finger and noticed a chord in my palm. I thought it was a tendon. My knuckle is very swollen and painful to the touch. I went back to the surgeon who misdiagnosed me with some other condition and told me I needed more surgery to thin the tendon in my finger because it was too thick. He never mentioned my palm. I had that surgery about 7 weeks ago. The real condition, which I now know is DD, has gotten worse. I went back for a post-op visit two days ago and that's when he diagnosed DD.

I've been going to physical therapy, where I'm being treated for whatever the doctor thought I had before this diagnosis. When I asked him if I should continue PT as before even though we now know I have DD, he said yes. He was very cavalier about the whole thing and left me with the impression that he doesn't know much about this disease, even though he is a hand specialist.

The physical therapist has been treating my finger to make it bend inward, not straighten it. Due to this last surgery, my middle finger is still swollen and stiff in both directions. I can't straighten it or curl it all the way in to make a tight fist. She's also massaging my palm and using a tool to kind of scrape it, in order to stretch the cord and break up "scar tissue."

I don't know what to do - should I continue with the PT? I read somewhere that stretching the finger and the cord could make it worse. And I don't know if stretching my finger to close into a fist is a good idea because of DD. To complicate matters, I have osteo-arthritis in my hands and my finger joints are large and painful. Please help! Thank you!

Thank you, spanishbuddha, for your reply. I have some contracture already so I guess RT isn't for me. I agree that I should find a new doctor. That's my next step.

I really appreciate your advice! Being a female of Southern European descent, I know no one with DD and had never even heard of it. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this forum!

Thank you for your suggestions, Wolfgang. I'm of Italian descent (both of my parents were Italian), and I live in the US. I have found a local doctor who was trained by Dr. Eaton. I've made an appointment for May 5.

I've read on this forum from you and others that trauma can trigger DD. Yet the other medical sites say there's no evidence for that. Do you know any doctors who agree about trauma being a possible cause? I'm asking because I may be able to add this to a current lawsuit. I had a
bad fall awhile back and suffered many injuries, including my hand.

Thanks again for your very sound advice!

There is quite some evidence that trauma can trigger stronger symptoms of Dupuytren's and most doctors would probably agree to that. An overview of the literature is on http://www.dupuytren-online.info/dupuytr...ure_trauma.html.

But you need to be aware that while a trauma can trigger growth of nodules it may be difficult to prove in a specific case that this really was the root cause. The other side will probably argue that Dupuytren's is a genetic disease and that's true as well. The problem is that Dupuytren's usually needs a genetic background and a triggering event. The latter can well be a physical trauma.

Wolfgang