Thanks Dr. Keith. You always mange to find good stuff like this!

Alternatives to Open Surgery are still not mainstream, but we are continuing to pound away at the inertia of outdated medical thinking. This Overview of treatment options should be required reading for all new patients who have been assigned the Standard Issue Hand Surgeon who's only game plan is to put you under General and Cut. Mayo has now added additional legitimacy to the opinions often expressed here and previously on the now defunct BioS Forum. The ice is melting :-)

Edited at 05/29/08 22:16

Parjudy,
Your comments are interesting. I think there is a relationship between the golf grip and Dupuytren's. My Duputren's developed in the same location as the wear on my golf glove (which indicated most pressure). I played 18 three times a week. There were many other golfers in our group(s) with Dupuytren's. I had surgery in January 2002 and hand has been perfect since. No contracture or any indication of Dupuytren's.

MegB,
Six and a half years following surgery, there is no indication that I have ever had Dupuytren's except looking very closely the zigzag scar is barely visible. Golf, or any other activity, is no different than before. I do realize that not everyone has had the successful outcome that I have had. Prior to the surgery, Dupuytren's did not bother my golf. My little finger was at 90 degrees contracture and had a natural wrap around the golf clubs.

Hi Terry,

I wondered that about the Mayo Clinic also when I looked at their web site...they mention these other treatments but don't say whether they offer them at their clinic. It does seem do be difficult to get get the process going with some doctors....for example, I called the doctor's office in at Scripps in LaJolla who is listed on the Dupuytren Society web site and talked to the nurse...she was very nice and asked me to email photos, information, etc., and told me she would talk to the doctor and get back to me...and I never heard back!!!

Is there any possiblity of your seeing Dr. Kline in Boise (I think you mentioned in another post you lived in Nevada)? Maybe you've seen his website (he has Dupuytren's and I think it's somewhat of a mission of his to help people with this disease)? I saw him in June and he said I was a good candidate for radiation therapy, so he referred me to Dr. Kuhn at St. Luke's in Boise. It is some travelling (I live in Seattle), but if you could swing that, it would be an option, and Dr. Kuhn apparently has a lot of experience treating this, which is a plus.

Megan

We are going to Mayo tomorrow to have Dr. Rizzo do a NA procedure on my husband. We'll let you know how it goes.