I am 44 and have been dealing with this since I was 30. My one foot has finally gotten quite lumpy, uncomfortably so. I also have dupuyten's in both hands and have had surgery on one of my fingers so far. I waited until I couldn't any more. However, there is a Xiaflex for the hands now that has been approved for palpable cords in the hands. My surgery was prior to approval of Xiaflex so that wasn't an option at the time.

My doctors that I have seen have told me to wait as long as possible esp. for surgery on the feet as I am sure you have read by now that the lumps can come back, the recovery is difficult, and that there are alot of nerves in the feet . . .

This past year, I also developed a frozen shoulder. Recently, I began trying to think about trying anti-inflammatory diet of some sort because I noticed in the mornings when I woke up that my hands feel tight or weird after eating out or eating what I consider to be really salty foods. I asked my physical therapist of foods might cause less inflammation and he suggested mediteranean. sp?

So I decided to try and limit my salt which helps. Then a few weeks ago, I started eating turmeric on roasted vegetables or chicken a couple times a week, eliminated caffeine free diet soda(aspartame) and switched to oolong teas. I have noticed a decrease in the sensitivity of the nodules and the inflammation in both my hands and feet. I am not sure which of these made the difference since my husband told me there were too many factors since I began them all at the same time. You might give it a whirl before doing anything drastic esp. since everyone seems to have recurrences. I have been a long sufferer and am active too although I don't run marathons! But I haven't had to do anything with my feet for 14 years so far. We are young. Our bodies produce too much scar tissue and it seems to return. I also feel like my body will produce more scar tissue to protect itself so I would only do the invasive things as a last resort.

Also, read about Needle aponevortomy (NA) to release cords if you have them in your hands. Contact doctors under NA and RT in the menu on the left column of this page.

I had NA done before RT. NA was a piece of cake - a 20-30 minute procedure, 3 days of keeping my hand elevated, then removing the bandage and keeping Bacitracin on the puncture spots for about 10 days. I had NA while my contracture was still in Stage I and it immediately released the contracture.

RT does not release existing cords. It did stop progression and, more than I expected, the many nodules reduced in size or softened.

RT needs to be done when the Dupuytren's or Ledderhose is active. RT for releasing cords is most effective when contrature in in the earlier stages.

I had RT both for my Dupuytrens and Ledderhose last November. For my two nodules in my left arch, the RT was very successful. The nodules were like hard nice size marbles. After RT they are almost gone, you can feel them but they are flat and soft.

My left pinkie was very messed up. I had a 90 degree contracture on the PIP joint and in addition a boutonierre deformity on the DIP joint (the finger looked like a letter Z in reverse), both joints were completely stuck for years. I had NA on the same finger in 2006, but the contracture returned shortly after. In March I had another NA on the same finger, the PIP joint is at 15-20 degrees which is a great improvement, since PIP joint usually only corrects by 50%.

I also did RT on my left hand where I had multiple nodules, but no cord or contracture yet. I had active disease (itching and burning) both in my left foot and left hand.

Early intervention with RT is a great idea, for me it worked great on the Ledderhose, and on the left hand. The itching and burning has stopped in both and I am now much more pro-active in trying to stop this disease before any contracture occurs. I don't want the same to happen as with my right pinkie problem.

TangoGirl..."Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain"

I had a cortisone injection for a nodule in my left arch in mid-March. It seemed to reduce the pain, swelling and inflammation, BUT only for about a week. Since then, I've developed a total of 8 lumps with daily pain. Some days I swell more and have more inflammation. Oy seems with this disease, every case is slightly different. I'm now awaiting MRI results and will consult on RT. At this point, I would be facing major surgery with reconstruction. I don't run anymore, but am an amateur ballroom dancer and don't want to hang up my shoes any time soon. I've continued dancing and used common sense. I feel that my foot hurts most of the time anyway, so I might as well continue to do something I love. If a step or dance hurts too much, I back off a bit. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

I have heard good news from a German radiation therapist who is now practicing in HAMBURG;
his name is Prof. Seegenschmiedt; my cousin went there just a few weeks ago; apparently he is
a fluently English speaking kind clinician who knows exactly the typical signs and developments in
Ledderhose Disease. He has seen over 500 patients with Morbus Dupuytren which he also examined
for Ledderhose Disease - thus, he knows all the pre-stages of the serious problems which occur
during the development of Morbus Ledderhose or Morbus Dupuytren!

My cousin told me, that he treats only with radiation, if there is overt signs of progression such as

- increasing size of nodes,
- increasing number of nodes,
- symptoms like pain or walking difficulties.

He does not encourage do treat in a "dormant situation" without symptoms. His address thru internet:

http://www.imedo.de/practice/provider/sh...-seegenschmiedt

I hope this and the Web-Side (In German ) http://www.strahlenzentrum-hamburg.de/ is helpful

Good luck to all sufferers, Larry