I practice yoga and I have DD. We do our yoga in a vwey warm room. The streching helps my semi bent fingers, much as warm water might. It helps the pain and my fingers are improvered for a few days until I do yoga again.

Hey Randy,

Thanks for your post. I have also found your previous posts interesting and informative. Yes bend is in the PIP joint. I have been reading up on NA since discovering it on this forum. A few days ago a rang Dr Hunter Smith's surgery in Mornington. The staff were helpful and informed me they have two staff performing NA and advised they are performing this technique regularly. They also suggested they were sure someone in Sydney, where I live, would also perform the procedure. I have currently contacted about 15 hand surgeons, only one of whose staff had heard of NA. Yesterday I had a surgeon in Sydney call me back to tell me NA did not work as the scar tissue simply joined the cord together again. He was verging on aggressive with this opinion stating anyone that said otherwise was an idiot. (Maybe this should have been posted in the forum on NA in Australia)

I have since found a scientific journal article from France regarding the success of NA. While generally stating the procedure is on par in terms of success with surgery (with the benefit of reduced healing time etc), they do suggest it might not be appropriare for younger patients. As I am 32 I am relatively young to have dupuytrens. I wonder if you have any comments regarding this. I am concerned I may have a more aggressive form and almost want to delay any procedure as long as possible in case it comes back more aggresively or in different hand, fingers etc. One patient in France had 42 visits in 2 years.

After stating all that I am probably going to book an appointment with Dr Hunter Smith in a couple of months.

Sorry this was rather long winded everyone.

Larry is correct, that surgeon is totally off base. I haven't had NA myself, yet, but I will in the future, as the results of literally dozens of posters here speak for themselves.

I have had 2 surgeries, in my 40s, and I will not have another. Surgery does its own damage, creates its own problems, and makes future treatements vastly more difficult and less likely to succeed. Recovery is long and tedious at best, and is typically understated during the run-up to surgery. There is absolutely no reason not to try NA, possibly even several times if necessary, before resorting to surgery.

The severed cord does NOT simply re-connect. While some posters here have had NA repeated over the years, I'd be happy to undergo it every year for the rest of my life rather than have another surgery.

Jim- You know exactly what you're talking about when you say you'd rather have NA every year than have surgery again. I have aggressive DC in both hands. I have been having NA every six months for 5 years now. 2 years ago, I abandoned NA on my left pinky due to a frozen PIP joint. I had open surgery 3 weeks ago. I'd rather have NA once a month than surgery ever again. NA vs. surgery is like comparing a haircut to brain surgery. Kristen

Hi Nick,
There is no-one in the UK doing the NA procedure. This is official from the British Society for Surgery of the Hand. Surgery should be your last thought. Give NA a try on your right hand. NA does not work so well after surgery because of the scar tissue surgery forms. It is easy to pop over to Paris for treatment. Some people have been known to fly over, have the treatment and fly back on the same day. Depends where you live of course.
Have you looked at the web page www.handcenter.org ? there is a lot of info there including all the european practitioners of NA.
Need anymore help, just ask