I am a 59 year old male and have had hand problems since I was 12. Had surgery on 2 fingers at that time for trigger fingers. I have always had stiffness and some locking up of other fingers at times. (Osteoartritis). Had another trigger which was injected with steroids several times then surgery done about 3 years ago. Then I developed carpal tunnel and had my right hand repaired in February 2011. At that time I had my right ring finger trigger finger repaired as well. Shortly after this a nodule appeared on my right palm. There is also some scarring or hardness noted above where the trigger was repaired. This was diagnosed as DD when I was in for the carpal tunnel on my left hand in July 2011.

Had a lot of problems with the healing of the carpal tunnel release on the right hand and needed physio and accupuncture to resolve these problems. Left hand healed a lot better. I am also a keloid former.

Now my right had is getting bad from the DD. The ring finger also locks up at times and is very difficult to straighten. When I do manage to straighten it out it is very painful and wants to go back to the bent position unless I hold it open for a while. I suspect the trigger finger may be returning. I also have some contracture, guessing about 10% on all fingers on the right hand (can see daylight under it if placed on a flat table). I live in Canada, so most therapy or surgery is covered, but I would like to avoid surgery if at all possible. Will go to see my orthopaedic surgeon in a few weeks. Live in a city where not all surgeries may not be available but could travel for alternatives if neccessary.

What should I be looking at doing for now. Was thinking of splinting my one finger just so it wouldn't lock up during the night. Mornings are the worse time and I often wake up during the night with stiffness in both hands, but left hand is not bad once up and about for a while.

Thank you for any suggestions.

As far as the Carpal Tunnel goes, the surgery was successful. I no longer have the tingling and pain and don't wake up at night not being able to feel my hands. The problem I had was due to hypertrophic scarring which caused limited range of motion at the wrist. I was not able to bend my wrist but could bend my fingers pretty well. The physio and accupuncture was able to fix that. It did take 8 weeks before I could return to work. With the left hand I was able to get back to work after only 4 weeks. Still have pain and tenderness at both surgical sights though.

I am ambidextrous with the right hand being the dominant hand. I was able to function very well using my left hand when I was unable to use the right. Still have trouble using a stapler and had to buy an electric can opener as opening cans can be a problem, but good for most all other duties.

As I'm sure you know the 'approved' medical treatments are: Radiotherapy, Needle Aponeurotomy, Collagenase injections, Various surgical options. It's probably best you go to an experienced hand clinic, not a hand surgeon, and get their advice given the complexity and history of your hands.

There are a number of patient related experiences on various threads on the forums you could read through, includes for example massage, splinting, rubbing with various oils, steroid injections, use of verapamil and so on. But as I say these are personal experiences rather than professional recommendations.