Robert,
It looks to me like these points are important after surgery :
1 Wound healing : utmost care should be taken to avoid infection, which can occur very easily.
Internally there can also be some infections (noticeable by warm feeling) and some fluid formation.
Helpful treatment (on closed wounds) might be ultrasonic and vacuum. Laser seems to be out of the question, since it cannot be applied in a sufficiently controlled way.
2 Finger straightening : a splint (preferably dynamic) is generally used the first couple of days, and after that during the night, for at least 1 month.
Exercising is recommended, tho maybe some care should be taken not to put too much strain on still existing collagen tissue (if any), since this might activate it.
3 Finger bending (forming fist) : several daily exercises are mandatory, either or not with the help of a hand therapist (I had 60 sessions in total)

New to the forum...

I am a runner and developed "runner's knee" (cartilage wear...painful) last year. I cut back on my running and started taking 1500 mg glucosamine/1200 mg chondroitin daily during November and December to accelerate cartilage repair. I stopped taking GC in January as the knee condition improved, and over the span of about two weeks in February, developed a 1/4" diameter nodule between the main folds of my right hand in line with my middle finger. The nodule has not enlarged since, and there is no apparent onset of contracture or other nodule development.

I visited an orthaepedic surgeon three weeks ago and he diagnosed the nodule as DP. As he described the condition, I immediately had a flashback of my grandfather who had full contracture of his pinky and ring fingers on his right hand...no problems with his left hand. Apparently, his contracture began while in his seventies and he thought it was arthritis. Also while in his seventies, he developed related Peyronie's disease. No apparent problems with his feet, however (all based on relative accounts...he died many years ago).

I am a 44 year old, right-handed, white male and am obviously genetically predisposed to contracting DP. I am curious about the potential link between taking GC and the onset of DP. As for alcohol, I drink one glass (6 ounces) of red wine daily with dinner, have for years, and still do.

Julia,
I think that any number of things can trigger Dupuytren's. If a person has a genetic predisposition for DC, it seems that anything or nothing can get it going. From the collective experiences that I have read and my own, it is best not to give DC a chance to get going. The more activity (including surgery) the greater the chance of growth. I had surgery on my hand when little finger reached 90 degrees 6 months ago and it is now normal. I still would not rule out recurrence in the future, however.
My DC was/is painless. It almost seems like there are variations of DC. Nodules seem usually painful, while the "dermal pits" (look like a callus) usually not painful.
Good luck

Very interesting forum. I am a 29 year old male with no family history of DC. In Dec 01 I had surgery on my left wrist to repair a torn ligament. While the cast was on I noticed a tender area in my palm. The hand had been shifting in the cast and I would sometimes irritate the area trying to scratch my arm, so I thought it was just irritated. I started taking gluc/chon right after surgery as well. I also have taken 1 - 2 grams of Vit C for the last 5 years. When the cast came off I noticed a node on my left palm below the PIP joint of the ring finger. Last week I was diagnosed with DC. Since I am a dentist and a lefty, this is very concerning. I think there is definitely a connection between the injury and irritation of the area while in the cast and my diagnosis, and am VERY suspicious of the gluc/chon and Vit C as well. Needless to say, I am no longer taking those 2 wonderful and expensive pills. I believe that gently stretching of the finger may help to prevent contracture. My best to everyone with this disease. Alway remember, there are always worse things to have. Stay positive and pray.

Joe,
The jury is still out whether stretching the hand stimulates DC growth. This is NOT a tendon we are talking about, it is diseased tissue above the tendons. DC can be stimulated in many ways including surgery, but also from physical manipulation including stretching. Often, the more you fight it, the more it responds.
Remember, you can have DC and for many people they can go through life without it ever contracting. I have several friends that are in their 50s and 60s who have DC and are quite functional with insignificant or no contraction. All of these people have chosen to ignore the DC and have tried not to stimulate growth.
DC is interesting (?) in that it reacts differently for different people, so be careful about the stretching. Even a little might be harmful.
Gary