Hello all,

During October last year I noticed a tiny lump on my left palm (ring finger tendon). Being in the UK, I have had to spend 4 months navigating a slow and inefficient NHS, but I have finally been diagnosed with Dupuytren's this week. The lump has continued to grow and has now become visible with a slight tightening of my finger (although no bend yet). I am 30 years old.

The diagnosis hit me really hard as it was so unexpected. But being a geek at heart I have been ploughing through the research online to try and come to my own conclusions on what to do next. But the truth is I remain puzzled.

I have spent the last 3 years of my life following what I consider to be a pretty healthy 'paleo' style diet. Basically loads of fresh veg (4-6 portions a day), moderate meat/fish and a good portion healthy fats (coconut oil, olive oil and butter mostly), avoiding any inflammatory and processed foods. I also take regular exercise but have stopped lifting weights and riding my bike since I noticed the lump so as not to aggravate it. I weigh 165-170lbs.

But, I am no angel. There is also an unhealthy side to my lifestyle. I drink alcohol (maybe a few units once or twice a month), I have also used marijuana on and off for about 6 years. I intend to stop all of this now as I know it’s likely doing me no favours.

My grandfather who is 90 suffers terribly from this disease but didn't contract it until much later than me when he reached his late 50s. He was a heavy tobacco smoker and consumed alcohol on a weekly basis, he ate a moderately healthy diet.

My doctor told me that I should get surgery as soon as possible but this seems to contradict everything I read (perticularly on here). I have decided to avoid surgery for now as I don't want to make it worse. I also have little trust in the NHS as they have misdiagnosed and mistreated members of my family in the past.

This looks like a really great support network to get involved with and I've been reading a ton of info on here recently. Having a community to share my journey with is going to be really valuable.

I would love to hear peoples thoughts on what next steps I should take, diet or otherwise. I've started taking ALCAR, fish oil and bromelain supplements which I read can help ease the disease, but am aware that this is not a cure in any case.

From my limited knowledge I have been left wondering about these things:

- DSMO with vit E etc - does it work or just delay the inevitable?

- I have read about supplements like Neprinol and Sulphur but also seen mixed reviews on their effects

- Could my higher than average healthy fat intake be an issue? Eating a diet more aligned to Paleo than the standard american diet cured me of GURD and a ton of other issues. It made me feel great and lost me 15-20lbs of stubborn fat effortlessly, but perhaps its not ideal if I am pre-disposed to this condition? Could meat or fat intake be an issue? I am considering a vegan experiment or dropping the fat intake right down.

- Should I be stretching my hand to retain movement or am I risking rupturing or injuring it further? I have done a lot of yoga in the past, but I have stopped for now as I remain unsure if it’s helpful to my hand.

-RT interests me but I am still unsure about it. Would love to hear peoples thoughts. The NHS are offering me nothing other than an operation right now and even though the NHS website seems to support this treatment, my consultant made absolutely no reference to it in my appointment.


I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on what works or doesn’t work for them and get some thoughts on what direction I should take things in the early stages. experimenting with my diet is nothing new to me so I'd love to hear from anyone who's seen success in dietary changes. I intend to experiment with my diet and will post any noted results on here.

I want to avoid surgery at all costs and consider it a last resort. I am prepared to make any sacrifices necessary right now. The internet can be both useful and frustrating when researching this condition, so where better place to start than asking real people who are going through this themselves?

Thanks and I look forward to getting involved in this forum.

Thanks for the response.

It does definitely seem to effect everyone differently. I have actually been stunned at how varied success seems to be across the board with so many different treatments. I guess this points me in the direction of self experimentation based on a little research.

I have read about Xiapex and it sounds like the best first option once fingers begin to bend. With it being quite a new drug i've had trouble concluding any stats on its effectiveness.

For now I think I'm going to stick with some supplementation with a few dietary & lifestyle tweaks. I will keep this forum up to date on my progress.

I believe stress has been a factor for me as the nodule seemed to appear in the middle of one of the most stressful times of my life, and lets face it, stress is good for nothing. I'm working on combatting the stress by upping my exercise and taking a more positive outlook, but its hard work.

Hi Buddha

I will certainly check out the BDS site, thanks.

I thought it was absolutely ridiculous to suggest surgery at this stage. The consultant clearly had no idea what he was talking about. My questions were met with what could be considered 'stock answers', it didn't fill me with confidence and I'm actually considering complaining as i would have had more benefit speaking to a brick wall than this guy.

I guess due to my success in treating so many things in my life through diet, it's easy to become fixated on it. But I can't deny this does seem to be an exception in that school of thought. I will probably still run a few self experiments but wont get my hopes up.

Who is the massage pioneer? I'd be interested to read more on this as it's not a treatment I've heard of.

I find the point you make about your nodule disappearing very interesting. Perhaps this correlates with the action taken through massage and application of pressure? I guess it's impossible to tell but glad to hear it went away for you.

Thanks a ton for the advice. Maybe I will try getting back on some light weights over the next few weeks and see how I hold up.

All the best

Great, thanks very much for the information I will be sure to check that out.

Hi Molloy,

Thanks for the advice. I can't disagree with your points, a great deal of time can be wasted worrying about what caused it and going down the 'why me' road. The bottom line is it will get me nowhere.

As you point out, any improvements seen through diet are anecdotal at best. In terms of my diet, I have noticed that if i eat inflammatory foods like wheat, sugar or highly processed meals, I seem to experience more pain in my hand at night. Not sure what to make of that at this stage as I have only noticed this twice, which is not really enough time to make any personal conclusions.

I am considering the massage therapy already mentioned by SpanishBuddha. I have tried massaging the nodue myself recently and it does seem to provide some relief, albeit seemingly temporary.

RT seems to be a promising option at this early stage and I am going to mention it to my consultant when I can get an appointment. Although I am expecting to be told they won't support it. The support I have had so far from the NHS has only confused the situation.

Has anyone had any experience with 'natural' treatments mentioned over at http://dupuytrens-contracture.com? They claim to be an Institute for natural healing but it seems like a big marketing ploy to me, everything always seems to lead to some kind of sales page which hardly fills me with confidence.

Thanks for all the support on this thread. It's great to know I can bounce my ideas about with people who have real experience in managing this condition. I've learnt more here than in all my google searches, and believe me there have been many!