Dupuytren's contracture
Most people never think about the blessing it is to have the use of their hands, but I think about it every single day, and every day I’m thankful - Karen Mercaldo
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The Future is Coming!
Right now, many people with mild Dupuytren biology do well after surgery or after Xiaflex – because most people have mild to moderate Dupuytren biology. The issue isn’t the patient with mild disease biology who will do well for a long time after any treatment.
The issue is those with more aggressive disease and the one out of twenty Dupuytren patients with severe biology who wind up crippled despite all that can be offered by technically skilled surgeons. Aggressive Dupuytren biology is also associated with other health issues for reasons which must still be worked out. These are the people whom doctors fail, not for lack of surgery, but for ignorance of the core biology.
Treating…
Resources
Your Hands Have a Lot More To Do
John Elway talks about his experience with Dupuytren's contracture and the importance of knowing all your treatment options
Dupuytren’s disease: where do we stand?
Dupuytren’s disease is a fibroproliferative disease that involves collagen deposition and ultimately affects hand mobility and grip strength.1 The first reference to this pathology dates back to 1614, when Plater referred to a flexion contracture of the hand that he attributed to trauma to the flexor tendon.
Association between Stenosing Tenosynovitis and Dupuytren’s Contracture in the Hand
Both Dupuytren’s contracture and stenosing tenosynovitis or trigger finger are frequently encountered by practicing hand surgeons. It is not uncommon in practice to identify patients with clear stenosing flexor tenosynovitis with overlying subtle nodules or cords associated with early Dupuytren’s contracture.
Better to be lucky than smart?
Thirteen years ago, a doctor had bad Dupuytren contractures. He had been told that he needed surgery if he wanted to straighten his fingers. He didn’t want to take time off his practice for what might be a lengthy recovery after traditional surgery. He found a hand surgeon who was doing needle aponeurotomy – which had a shorter average recovery. He traveled cross-country to see him.
Bringing Movement Back to Clenched Hands
Xiaflex is the first drug approved as an alternative to surgery to treat Dupuytren’s contracture, in which ropelike cords of collagen form under the skin of the hand, stretching from the palm to the fingers. The cords shorten and keep bent fingers from straightening.
Dupuytren Disease and Related Diseases - The Cutting Edge
In this book, leading international experts showcase the latest advances in research into Dupuytren disease and its clinical management. The coverage spans all relevant specialties, including cell biology, biomechanics, genomics, surgery, pharmacotherapy, and radiotherapy.
Famed Pianist Returns to the New York Stage After Hand Surgeries
Weeks of physical therapy followed each operation, with the normally tireless pianist having to limit his playing to five minutes at a time at the onset, to give himself time to heal. And that is to say nothing of the inherent risk Mr. Dichter faced in going under the knife. The success of either surgery was never guaranteed.
Triumph for Drug to Straighten Clenched Fingers
It took half a century. But a tiny drug maker on Long Island has finally found a potentially lucrative use for its only medicine: straightening clenched fingers. And, if research proves successful, treating a condition that causes bent penises.
The Future is Coming!
Right now, many people with mild Dupuytren biology do well after surgery or after Xiaflex – because most people have mild to moderate Dupuytren biology. The issue isn’t the patient with mild disease biology who will do well for a long time after any treatment. The issue is those with more aggressive disease and the one out of twenty Dupuytren patients with severe biology who wind up crippled despite all that can be offered by technically skilled surgeons.
Facts on Hand
Facts on Hand is your source for information about Dupuytren’s contracture. John Elway and Tim Herron have teamed up with Facts on Hand to share their experience with Dupuytren's contracture.is your source for information about Dupuytren’s contracture. John Elway and Tim Herron have teamed up with Facts on Hand to share their experience with Dupuytren's contracture.
Dupuytren Contracture Institute
Natural treatment for lumps on palms and contractures of fingers.
Dupuytren Foundation
Our mission is to find a cure for Dupuytren Disease as rapidly and efficiently as possible. All our board members are intensely focused on this goal because we are either hand surgeons who have seen too many problems from Dupuytren Disease, have Dupuytren Disease ourselves, or both.
International Dupuytren Society
Support patients and promote research, education and global cooperation to find a cure for Dupuytren Disease and related conditions.
HandCare
The cause of Dupuytren’s contracture is unknown. The problem is more common in men, people over age 40 and people of northern European descent. There is no proven evidence that hand injuries or specific jobs lead to a higher risk of developing Dupuytren’s contracture.
Genetics Home Reference
Dupuytren contracture often first occurs in only one hand, affecting the right hand twice as often as the left. About 80 percent of affected individuals eventually develop features of the condition in both hands. Dupuytren contracture typically first appears as one or more small hard nodules that can be seen and felt under the skin of the palm.
Patient
Dupuytren's contracture affects one (or more often both) palms of your hands. It usually starts with a thickening of the connective tissue on the palm of your hands, and this may be the only symptom you ever get.
StatPearls
Dupuytren's disease is predominantly a myofibroblastic disease that affects the palmar and digital fascia of the hand and results in contracture deformities. The most commonly affected digits are the third (ring) and fourth (small or pinky) digits. The disease begins in the palm as painless nodules that form along longitudinal lines of tension
Xiaflex
A hand specialist may consider XIAFLEX® if you have Dupuytren's contracture with a cord that can be felt.
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