nevermind; While DD in your twenties is not common you will find a number of people on this web site that have developed the disease in their teens and twenties. I developed LD in my early teens and DD in my late teens. I have it in both hands and both feet.

My suggestion is that you move cautiously. Getting the disease early possibly means it will be more aggressive but it seems that no two cases are the same. Best watch and wait to see how it develops. If you are lucky it may stay dormant for years.

I haven't had RT but it sounds like something that I would investigate in your situation but, again, wait to see how it develops first. Nodules may start appearing in other locations and on the other hand or on your feet so rushing to treat one area my be damaging and may be a waste of time.

If your fingers start contracting I agree with callie that you should look at NA or maybe a combination of NA and RT.

Surgery is a last resort in my view. Xiaflex is a relatively new drug treatment and I prefer to be a bit cautious here. This is not a life threatening disease I don't want to find that I have turned it into one.

Callie, I had three bad experiences with surgeons. That's enough. Your question is inane.

Funny thing, if I would have had Xiaflex treatment three years ago it might have had a better chance for success. We will never know. I asked the surgeon about it and he said it doesn't work. Research shows he is wrong for most people.

First of all, Nevermind, I am sorry to learn that you are experiencing the start of Dupuytren's, but was glad to hear that you are proactively searching out solutions for you.

I've had the disease since 2001.....very, very slow progression in one hand probably triggered by a car accident and a subsequently crushed bone between the elbow and shoulder. About 6 years later it showed up in the other hand and was quite aggressive (pinky and palm). Since Xylaflex was in trial, my doctor recommended that I wait until it was approved. In that period of time, the pinky contracted way beyond 90degrees. I've had two xylaflex injections and I would NEVER put myself through that again. The injection for me was horribly painful. Since the hand was numbed to break the cord, that went much better. However, it opened my hand only a little. Wearing a night brace was horribly painful. 3 months later we tried the second shot, since, according to the doctor, the reason it didn't straighten all the way was because the contracture itself was hiding more cords that needed to be treated. I developed the biggest blood blister I ever saw, which exploded when the manipulation was done. Result---aggressive wound care for quite some time and the inability to wear any kind of splint. The joint on the top of my pinky swelled so , and never got much better. Within 6 months the Dupuytrens in the pinky was back with a vengeance. I took it as long as I could before returning to the doctor who told me the only option was surgery---in the hospital---with a lengthy recovery period. As a frequent reader/contributor to this forum, I once again turned to it, and several people suggested that I at least consider NA. The list one of the members thoughtfully provided for me showed a few doctors in the NYC area, so I called one of them, they had me send pictures, and the doctor thought I was a candidate for this procedure. Since November, I've been treated three times. The first time the doctor did NA on the less affected hand. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but certainly bearable, and NOTHING like the xylafelx injection. There are soft nodules in one of the fingers and part of the palm, but I have 100% usage. I currently wear my night splint on M-W-F, as I start to wean off that. December 5, the other hand was done. Same result with the fingers other than the pinky. That would not move beyond a 90 degree angle. The doctor felt that a PIP release was necessary, which I had the next day. I was told that the scarring around the joint (probably from the xylaflex) is what inhibited the movement of the joint. I'm four weeks post-procedure. The pinky is 80% or so straight, and I'm working very hard at both physical therapy sessions and on my own to get as much use from it. I am on my second night splint which I suspect I'll be wearing for quite awhile longer before I can start to wean off of it. However, for the first time in years, I can wash my face without sticking my finger in my eye and I can wear winter gloves. I know there is a fairly high recurrence rate with this NA treatment, but the procedure is is so non-invasive I can live with that. As a former skier, I know I could grasp ski poles.

Everyone is different. We all have to seek our own way in mitigating this, but I offer my experience to shed additional light on the myriad of possibilities that do not include surgery or amputation. Using this forum to explore has been a lifesaver for me.
Marigail

It is interesting to hear about different experiences. The night time splint was totally irrelevant for me. No pain or discomfort. I always felt good about it because I didn't have to worry about any injury during the night from sleeping on the hand or something similar. I did notice the fingers were tight in the morning and it took a couple of minutes to loosen the flex.

Flojo, are you still wearing the night splint? I'm weaning off the less affected hand currently, but the one where I had the PIP release---I'm sure I'll be in that for awhile. I wake up frequently during the night, but I'm hoping the day will come when I don't need it.

Thanks!