I have enjoyed competitive sports throughout my life. Since the age of 40 I have particularly enjoyed playing tennis. I am presently 47.  However, in recent years i have been plagued with injuries to my back, shoulders, knees and ankles. I have also struggled with sore feet which I dismissed as “just getting older.” When the sore feet developed into nodules it curtailed my sport significantly to the point of playing just 9 holes of golf once a week and even that could be a grind!! Once the nodules developed I wanted to know the name of the condition. I was concerned that they may be malignant. So 3 GPs, 2 podiatrists and eventually 3 consultant surgeons later, Ledderhose disease was “suspected.” I read a number of personal stories on the NET, some quite alarming!! I had come to terms that playing competitive sport was consigned to the history book for me!! It is through my personal experiences and advice from others that I worked through my issues. As a result, I am not just playing sport, but successfully playing tournaments to a standard that I have not been able to achieve for many years.
The first step for me was to stop the progression of the Ledderhose. So, within 6 weeks of my provisional diagnosis, I was in Hamburg with Professor Seegenschmeidt. He diagnosed me with stage 2 Ledderhose of both feet and treated them with the 30gy protocol. He also diagnosed me with stage N Dupuytrens of both hands but declined to treat them. He reasoned that there was not enough evidence of progression. There are many posts on the forum regarding this process.
The second part of the process was to give my body a long rest and get into reasonable shape for sport. For years I had worked hard at my appalling level of suppleness to prevent injuries. I did Pilates classes, always stretched and warmed up before activity, but when trying to touch my toes I would struggle to get past my knees. On advice, I ditched all stretching and tried Myofascial release. There are many versions of this if you look on youtube. I have personally developed a routine for myself that takes around 20 minutes and do it 4 times a week. It basically involves using a roller and a small ball to break down adhesions. I concentrate on my problem areas where there is significant stiffness, lower back, buttocks, legs and shoulders. The sensation you get is a little like a deep massage. After a session, I can touch my toes. This has made a huge difference to playing sport.
If you have Dupuytrens and Ledderhose you are at a high risk of frozen shoulder. So applying logic, what about other connective tissues in your body such as in your hips. In my case I believe I am riddled with connective tissue that has hardened. Many people with Dupuytrens state that over stretching the hands can advance the condition. Hence, this is the reason that I no longer stretch my body, but as a result am much more supple.
I think that if you have the challenge of playing tennis with Dupuytrens and other associated conditions, you owe it to yourself to use comfortable equipment. Many people have posted on using custom orthotics, soft grips and gloves. I also use a skins body suit under my tennis shirt. Checkout skins.net. The manufacturer makes many claims regarding the benefits of the suit such as, enhancing blood flow, reducing lactic acid build up, muscle vibration and thus reducing soreness and risk of injury. I also feel that they help regulate your temperature which is really important for a sport like tennis. I simply don’t play without mine now.
Many people have posted on the forum regarding diet. I have found this interesting reading and have investigated many aspects and applied them to the diet I have lived on for most of my life. I feel that the best approach is to do nothing radical, but eat a balanced diet with whole non processed foods. For most of my life I have lived clean as a non smoker with no alcohol and enjoyed a fairly balanced diet. But! ...I still have Ledderhose and Dupuytrens. I have however, introduced a daily portion of blueberries as they have been clinically proven to improve recovery time after exercise. They are also loaded with anti toxins.
Possibly the most important advice I have received regarding Dupuytrens was “baby your hands.” So i wear gloves for just about everything I do and wear a splint for 10 hours a day. I also use my right non preference hand for as many chores as possible. Many patients have stated that their Dupuytrens is more advanced in their prime hand. It seems logical that more activity equals in general  more advanced condition. I have applied the same principals to the rest of my body. As much as I love tennis, I am very grateful for 1 good game per week. Followed by icing any niggles that i may have and a relaxing bath with radox to help relax tired muscles. During the week i prepare for a game with basic low intensity exercises like lunges and the Myofascial release that I mentioned earlier.

Thank you very much for this testimony. Very interesting. I would be very interested also to read how people manage to keep playing music without worsening their condition. Guitar is very demanding on the hand playing on the neck, often the left hand.

GaryBall, that sounds all very reasonable to me and is done likewise by myself. NO OVERDOING, but STAYING ACTIVE !

MORE ATTENTION to your own body and careful work with PILATES ROLL and SPIKY BALLS on tight areas of the hand and body parts with "some Stiffness" !

Stay well and have a Happy New Year with Your whole family and "One Time Tennis per Week" schedule - that are still 50 matches in One Year ! Don't overdo it

All the best,

Edited 12/29/12 22:53

kenny27dc:

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Anyone have any comments about biking with DD. I am a mountain biker with DD. I look forward to any comments or suggestions.
Thanks