Signs You May Have Dupuytren’s Contracture
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Most people have never heard of Dupuytren’s contracture, which is an abnormal thickening of the tissue in the hand, but it’s not a rare condition.
The condition typically develops slowly over a period of years. While some people may only have the bumps underneath the skin in early-stage Dupuytren’s contracture, most experience worsening symptoms that can result in impaired function and mobility of the fingers without treatment.
“Eventually, patients have a difficult time straightening their fingers,” says Daniel Osei, MD, a hand and upper extremity orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
Signs of Dupuytren’s Contracture
Here are six signs you may notice if you have Dupuytren’s contracture.
1. You feel a bump in your palm. A bump or a nodule in the palm is usually the first symptom people notice in early-stage Dupuytren’s contracture, according to hand surgeon Alejandro Badia, MD, an orthopedic hand surgeon at the Badia Hand to Shoulder Center in Miami. This early Dupuytren’s contracture symptom is a sign that the palmar fascia, or connective tissue in your palm, is becoming diseased, he says. “This almost always occurs on the ulnar (pinky side) of the hand,” Dr. Badia adds. He notes that patients often come in because they’re worried that the bump may be a cancerous tumor, but in Dupuytren’s contracture, the growth is benign. At this early stage, Dupuytren’s usually does not need to be treated, because it may or may not get worse.
2. You can’t open your hand to perform everyday tasks. One complaint Badia frequently hears from his patients is that when they wash their face, they poke themselves in the eye. “This is the result of not being able to open your hand as you need to,” he says. The condition can impact any finger, but it most often affects the ring finger and pinky.
3. You can no longer open your hand completely. Another sign of Dupuytren’s contracture is that when you go to rest your hand on a table, you may notice that your palm no longer lays completely flat because your fingers are beginning to pull inward.
5. Your hand doesn’t fit into gloves. Another sign of Dupuytren’s is that you have a tough time putting your fingers into gloves. “Because of a finger bend, you might find it difficult to straighten your finger to get a glove on,” says Dr. Osei. Similarly, when you go to put your hands in your pockets, four fingers might go in just fine, but one may get caught on the pocket.
6. You’re having trouble with mobility. Fortunately, the condition doesn’t usually affect the ability to grip objects or make a fist, says Osei, but you may notice that you have a decreased range of motion in your fingers and hand. If you play golf or tennis, you may find that you can’t hold the tennis racket or golf club the way you used to.
Why Early Stage Dupuytren’s Contracture Diagnosis and Treatment Is Important
Getting the correct diagnosis as early as possible can lead to treatment working more effectively. “When people haven’t heard of Dupuytren’s, they can’t recognize when it happens,” says Osei. “That leads to delays of people coming into the office. We find that the earlier you recognize it and treat it appropriately, the better outcomes patients have.”
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