Some time ago - well ok 20 years ago - I was a musician, too. So I know exactly how you feel as you see a finger or two heading south with no easy solution in sight.

If you've read some of the threads on this message board, you know that it has something in common with all message boards, usenet groups etc. It's home to a number of angry "trolls" who will interrupt their endless flame wars to offer strongly held opinions to newcomers.

The main battle line here is drawn between those who see surgeons as agents of the devil, and those who think surgery can still be a good choice for some cases.

Some people have had real bad experiences with surgery - especially with multiple surgeries on the same hand. It's a nasty procedure and the recovery is slow and tedious. I've been through it twice, once on each hand.

Surgery is not the only option. There's a minimally invasive procedure called "needle aponevrotomy" which until recently was only performed in Europe but is now available from a hand surgeon in Florida. Check it out in detail. Reports from people who've had it have been almost uniformly excellent. Recovery time is nil. The nagging question is, how permanent is this fix?

And the needle technique won't work equally well on every type of contracture.

At this time, as far as I know, there is no third option. There's an injectable enzyme under development that can dissolve enough of the bad tissue to allow a band to be snapped. But it's years away at best.

I hear trolls heading this way so I'll be off...

cass what instrument do you play? i am a pro weekend guitar warrior. i have dc in both hands. last year i had enough contraction in my right pinkie that i had surgery. as a guitar player the right pinkie is the least important of all my fingers so i had it done. this is only my opinion and my experience but i would never ever ever have surgery again. after a year and therapy my finger is almost useless and painful every day plus i have trigger finger as a result too. the nodules in my left hand have been dormant for years but if they ever flair up i will have n.a or some other alternative because i feel that if i have surgury i will never play guitar again!

Cass,

I'm a longtime drummer, though that's not how I make my living. I had my pinkly done nine months ago. Lucky for me it was on my left, non-dominant, hand. I still can't use the finger for typing, but I sure can hold the snare stick. However, acoustic guitar would be something else again. If you elect to have surgery, forget about playing for some months. And talk about.....well, Crude. I made some fairly Crude noises while working with my hand therapist. Had I been Sadam I'd probably have talked. This is not a "scare tactic", but information I wish I'd had earlier myself. If someone tries to tell you my experience is out of the ordinary.....it's probably a Troll.....Run!

Let's hope you don't need any intervention. You may not.