| My experience from a dupuytrens contracture surgery 8 months ago |
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11/28/2017 00:07
Jbar 
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11/28/2017 00:07
Jbar
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My experience from a dupuytrens contracture surgery 8 months ago
In March of this year I had surgery on my little finger that was slightly bent
Nine months later I am still going for physical therapy and the experience was a nightmare
Firstly when and if you decide to go through with this procedure choose a CERTIFIED hand specialist
I can’t emphasize this strongly enough and your doctor should only operate on hands ( a specific hand surgeon)
The therapy should begin two weeks after surgery and the therapy should be aggressive with massage and splints to encourage the fingers to bend
If the therapy isn’t aggressive enough the stiffness and swelling will be unbearable and every part of your hand will atrophy
The follow up with your surgeon should be every 3 weeks until he is sure you are on the right track not every 3 months.
I started out with the wrong therapy and six weeks into the therapy realized I needed more help
I am hopeful that I will recover but I have only recently have been able to make a fist and then when I open my hand I have to stretch and press down to make the hand flat again
3 to 5 times a day I do my exercises faithfully
Mornings are the worst
This is what helps me
Wax hand baths, warm showers alternating with cold water, therapy putty, squeeze toys, light weight lifting, swimming,turmeric, and for my sanity yoga and tai chi
I decided to have this operation because I had read that my little may have bent to the degree and that I could have poked my eye when putting on my makeup if I didn’t have the operation
At this point I would rather have a crooked finger and poke my eye!
I am 75 and if someone had warned me about the lengthy recovery I would have said no
Please consider your options.
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11/28/2017 01:30
Seph 
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11/28/2017 01:30
Seph
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Re: My experience from a dupuytrens contracture surgery 8 months ago
Hi Jbar; I feel sorry about your experience but even more sorry that you probably didn't need the surgery at all. There are other options and given that your finger was only slightly bent it would always have been better to try needle aponeurotomy (NA) or xiaflex first. If that didn't work you could then have surgery but the reverse is not an option.
NA is a ten minute procedure with no recovery or physical therapy required. I have no experience with xiaflex but you will find many in this forum that are very happy with the results.
This sounds like it was your first contracture and you are 75 which suggests that you have a mild form of the disease and will probably have no further issues but, if you do, I would encourage you to consider NA. Hand surgeons will tell you that with NA the dupuytrens contracture can return and in a relatively short space of time (2-3yrs) but its a 10 minute procedure. You simply do it again.
Good luck
Seph
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11/28/2017 11:40
Jbar
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11/28/2017 11:40
Jbar
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Re: My experience from a dupuytrens contracture surgery 8 months ago
Thank you for help seph. Unfortunately I tried the aponeurotomy but it failed in three months. Dr was 7 hours away did not want to travel. I was afraid of the xiaflex because of the pain. Guess I should have considered it
However the 3 CERTIFIED people I am working with now are super. That is what I want to emphasize to anyone contemplating surgery. The first person I had chosen for therapy was not certified and the facility was not equipped.
VERY IMPORTANT! .and your follow ups with doctor should be often.
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