I had NA done on my pinky finger last Friday........(roughly three days ago)

Definitely straighter ( I can lay my hand flat on a table but need to force it just a bit)....

Two questions for those of you that have had NA.....

1) Dr. prescribed a couples sessions of physical therapy for me........I still have some soreness around the pip joint and when I try to straighten fully I feel a bit of a pulling sensation. Is that normal and will my finger continue to straighten out a little more or will this be as "good as it gets?"

2) I keep reading where stretching is probably not a good idea..........does this mean I should not try and put my hand completely flat on a table (it's almost there naturally but have to force it a bit to get it completely straight). Also ----- isn't physical therapy also going to stretch/manipulate the finger in some form?

3) I do have a splint that was made for me that is terribly uncomfortable ....also bought a Fixxglove which I am wearing as it's much easier to tolerate. Is the Fixxglove just as effective as the splint.......?

I can only share my personal experience and opinions, no medical advice.

1) I wasn't prescribed any therapy after the NA on my pinky, just asked to be careful for the first two weeks. I also had a bit of a pulling sensation for several weeks, so that is at least not unusual. My finger did continue to straighten out a little more till completely flat but this may well vary from case to case. My opinion on this one: follow the prescribed therapy and don't force too early.

2) I would not try and put my hand completely flat on a table too early, but at least wait till you see the therapist. After my own NA I asked about swimming here in the forum because to me the pressure from moving my fingers through the water felt good without risk of doing damage, but I never received any feedback. You may want to discuss with your doctor or therapist or try it gently (and report back :-).

3) I wasn't recommended any split or glove. I would never have considered one if I hadn't read about them in this forum and felt my finger contracting again. If your splint is terribly uncomfortable I guess you either need to have it adjusted if possible, or rely on the glove. I cannot talk to the effectiveness of that particular glove, although from what I have seen it should be pretty good. I myself made my own by simply inserting a wooden stick into a bike glove before I became aware of those you can buy (http://www.dupuytren-online.info/Forum_E...int-0_2023.html), and in my case that approach (wearing it almost every night) has not only been very comfortable, but also may have prevented what I perceived as new contracture starting again 6 months after NA. So I would expect your more rigid glove to be as effective as a glove or splint can be.

Best wishes for your recovery!

Broderbund:

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Seph -

I'm interested in your comment regarding age.......

"If you are not sub 40 years old, that is probably where it stops. If you are sub 40 its probably a whole new thing."

I've read about the Dupuytrens Diathesis and I know age on onset is a big component of aggressive disease. My understanding is that 45 or even 50 years of age would be classified as early onset. (I'm currently 49).

Interested to know why you referenced the age of 40........

My personal experience:

Onset - First noticed a problem (progressive contacture) sometime around my mid-late 40's.

Finally had NA at age 54 - highly successful outcome on a by-ten 90 degree pinkie PIP contracture

PT - Was advised to do PT with a hand therapist and did so for as long as the insurance would permit - 2/3x/week for app. 60-90 days. I viewed it as helpful.

Splinting - The PT initially had me in a series of on again/off again day splints - perhaps for 2-4 weeks or thereabouts. In addition, they made a series of custom night splints which I wore full-time for 2-3 years, then reduced to 3-5x/week, then 2-3x, then eliminated. During this period, if I stopped for about a week or so, say on a vacation, I perceived that the contracture increased slightly. Eventually, when this phenomenon stopped, I discontinued using the splint. I am 100% convinced that my night splinting process was critically important in my case

Post NA Straightening - My perception is that the finger did indeed continue to improve in terms of a slightly reduced contracture, for some time after the NA procedure had been performed.

Of course, what works for one person may not be identical to what works for another.....