I am in my late 20'sand have a cord going up to my pinky finger that I can feel and a small bump in the palm but no finger curving and I can straighten my finger. I broke my pinky and tore some tendons in it about 10 years ago and it was unable to straighten it until I had physical therapy. My finger was bent for several years before I treated the injury. I know I am very young for dupyturen's so is it possible for a traumatic finger injury like that to cause some problems in the hand that resemble duyutren's in one finger? Could this be non dupyutrens or another similar condition?
This is an interesting question with medical legal implications, e.g. after accidents caused by a third party. There are a few reviews available in the medical literature which address this topic comprehensively with several points of discussion.
Dupuytren’s disease (DD) caused by repetitive injury or chronic manual labour has not achieved full credibility so far. However, several studies suggest that the initiation of DD can be induced by an acute or specific injury, infection or surgical procedure to the ipsilateral hand, wirst or forearm. Apparently this occurs more often in patients with a genetic predisposition which was first suggested by Skoog (1948) and proposed definitively by Clarkson (1961) and Hueston (1964). Many reports exist about single case studies or reviews of a few patients and only few studies with a large patient population.
An excellent review on 385 patients was published in 2004 by D. Elliot & R. Ragoowansi from the Hand Surgery Department, St. Andrew’s Centre for Plastic Surgery, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex, UK [see attachesd LINK]
These are accepted CRITERIA FOR RECOGNITION OF DUPUYTREN’S CONTRACTURE AFTER ACUTE INJURY
1. Objective evidence of injury with no evidence of Dupuytren’s disease prior to the injury. 2. Injury is within the same hand, wrist or forearm as the first hand to develop disease. 3. Patients may be of any age and may or may not exhibit conditions predisposing to Dupuytren’s Disease or indicative of a diathesis. 4. Dupuytren Disease appears within 1 year of injury (surgery, burn, mechanical trauma) 5. Single nodule or cord appears first in the palm of the injured hand. 6. Disease commonly remains limited to the part of the hand which was initially involved. but may progress within the same hand or to the other hand and may occasionally become significant in degree.
Could this type of injury be non-dupuytrens or pesuedo dupuytrens. I got this injury (boutonierre deformity) in my teens and had my finger bent for several years until physical therapy. I have had the palm bump, mild cord since my teens and it has not progressed in the last 15 years.
Jaykson2:I am in my late 20'sand have a cord going up to my pinky finger that I can feel and a small bump in the palm but no finger curving and I can straighten my finger. I broke my pinky and tore some tendons in it about 10 years ago and it was unable to straighten it until I had physical therapy. My finger was bent for several years before I treated the injury. I know I am very young for dupyturen's so is it possible for a traumatic finger injury like that to cause some problems in the hand that resemble duyutren's in one finger? Could this be non dupyutrens or another similar condition?
Hi Jaykson! Here are some of the most common signs that you have Dupuytren’s and it may be progressing : *Lumps and pits start to form in the palm. The lumps may be sensitive to the skin's touch and feel attached. *Thick cords may grow from the palms to the fingers and expand. The last two fingers (ring and pinky fingers) are most commonly affected. *Both hands may be affected, but one is usually worse than the other. *Over time it may become difficult to lay your hand down flat. *Although the contraction isn’t painful, it can become increasingly difficult to use your hand. It can become harder to shake hands, wear gloves and even wash your hands. *Straightening your fingers may become impossible, and stretching or splinting your fingers won't help and may make the condition worse.