Hi sweex

Well maybe but not typically. DD is typically a hand condition associated with the palmar fascia or aponeurosis and associated pretendinous ligaments that reach up into the fingers. However DD is also associated with a more general fibrosis condition that can occur in other parts of the body, including feet, shoulders, lungs, internal fascia and the penis. Many people experience their first DD symptoms following a wrist injury of sorts, including a broken wrist, or after wrist surgery for carpal tunnel which is a thickening or one of the palmar ligaments. So in the case of carpal tunnel, even before surgery there were symptoms, not of DD but problems in the wrist with tendons or ligaments. Finally the typical case of DD with cords in the palm can include cords forming down into base of the palm towards the wrist although it is less common.

You say a GP has confirmed you have DD, is that based on typical nodules and cords in the palm or fingers, maybe some skin pitting and resistance to flexion? A hand surgeon in the UK would be your next port of call, but they wont do anything until you have a contracture past a certain amount, and hopefully by browsing our website and forum you will see there are a few other options before getting to the stage of needing surgery.

Best wishes SB

sweex:

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Initially, back in February when it was just the wrist that was painful (no contracture of fingers), I thought it was carpal tunnel. But use of online diagnosis methods didn't confirm it, and when I got to see the GP (end of April) he came to the same conclusion that it wasn't (although the contracture of fingers was starting by then he took no notice). In the days between my initial post and now, I've been reading online about tendonitis of the wrist, and that seems to be the problem in the wrist, and indeed I'm getting some movement back.

But the contracture of the fingers remains, and I'm not sure whether there are nodules on the palm or not, at least, not same as nodules I've seen online. The main symptom in the fingers is resistance to flexion in all four fingers, with contracture in the forefinger, middle finger (worst), and ring finger. It was this that the GP observed, thugh he did comment that there is thickening of a cord (which I cannot see).

So I suspect that tendonitis started in the wrist, and for whatever reason, DD then started in the hand. I'm hoping that, like frozen shoulder, my "frozen wrist" will at least unfreeze itself, though obviously the DD won't reverse itself.

I would like a referral to a hand specialist but,as things stand here in the UK, that is going to be difficult.