frakon:

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Hi, I'm female age 64 and recently diagnosed as DC. It started 5 months ago with trigger finger in the middle finger and there was a nodule where the finger met the palm but I dont think it was what I've read describing the bumps that go with DC. At any rate I saw a Naturpathic physcian after one month of dealing with it and it was getting more painful. No help and he thought I might have to have cortisone injections which I was dead set against. I waited another two months because I had to go through a bunch of rigamarole to start with a new Dr. and she said it was trigger finger and had xrays done which showed mild arthritis. She also sent blood to Mayo to check for Rhuematoid arthritis which came back negative. Meantime the pain is getting worse and the ring finger starts with doing the trigger thing and the middle finger can no longer be bent to the palm. I can straigten it up but it's very painful when trying to make a fist plus its very swollen in the 3rd joint. I asked for a referal to a bone specialist which took another month and he felt the palm and said "It's DC and I can fix ya up with a surgery" He did ask me to make a fist before he suggested surgery. I agreed but have since canceled the surgery after reading online explanations of what
it is. I still have trigger finger in the ring finger and I am making sure I flex that finger so it doesnt become like
the middle finger. No pads or nodules with that finger but I have the cords with both fingers. A couple of years ago I also had a frozen shoulder which was treated with physical therapy successfully. From reading this forum each and every person has different circumstances but there's some common threads that run through. It's too bad I didnt know back at the shoulder stage what was going on. I had days when my arms would pain me especially in the forearms and not know what was causing that and it would go away. It was all DC but it hadnt manifested into the problems I'm having now with the hand and I've started with tingling in the left hand and am wondering if thats the beginnings of DC in that hand. I'm very appreciative that this forum is here. I've been reading all the postings a bit at a time and trying to absorb it all. Now that I've had time to think about it I'm really disappointed with what the bone specialist said and did. No information, a cursory explanation but boy he was quick to set me up with a surgery and PT for after. He said just a 5min procedure for the ring finger and 10 min for the middle finger and he's been doing this for 15 years, blah,blah, blah. Right. I live in a rural area and I doubt he's seen 15 people in 15 years that have had DC. He did get the DC right though. So yes, trigger finger can go with DC. Even says so on the Mayo site. This site is better information though and you get to talk with people who are going through the same things you are. Which helps immensley.
Fran

Welcome,

How are you going to go about treating it?

Lori

Sunshine_89; What you are describing does not sound like Dupuytrens to me. I have had DD for more than 40 years and your symptoms do not match my understanding or experience.

Once you have a Dupuytren contraction it stays that way until you get it released through surgery, needle apeneurotomy or xiaflex injections and manipulation. It doesn't come and go by itself and while contractions can develop quickly it is not an overnight process. Quick = weeks or months. No stiffness in the morning or any other time just a progressive contraction sometimes with a twist to the side. In my case no pain although others on this web site do report pain.

I think you need to start looking in other areas for what is wrong with you. If your MD thought it was Dupuytrens yet recommended massage and heat I suggest you see another doctor.

Good luck.

Edited 02/26/13 04:59

It might be nothing more than a tendon not being able to slide inside the sheath. It happens in shoulders all the time when a shoulder hurts then it pops and the pain is immediately gone and the shoulder works fine. Just a tendon getting "unstuck".