Regain your proficient hands of old
I suffer from Dupuytren’s contracture, unfortunately at an already advanced stage. Contractures restrict my hand movements and I find it hard to straighten my fingers. I have blood supply disorders. I can’t fully sense my fingertips. In effect, I’m not as
The procedure is designed to release or excise contracted scarred tissue and consequently to reduce the contracture and improve finger mobility.
The surgery involves a specific number of punctures or dissection of a sick tissue in order to weaken it (fasciotomy) or total removal of hypertrophied structures and scarred connective tissue (fasciectomy).
Causes of Dupuytren’s contracture are not fully known. It is assumed to have a genetic background, however. It may be fostered by alcohol abuse and smoking, diabetes, TB, AIDS, and epilepsy. Traumas and excessive hand straining may have their impact as well. The dysfunction affects men more often than women and arises in the second half of one’s life as a rule. A hypertrophied palmar aponeurosis (fascia) is the most common symptom of Dupuytren’s contracture, which manifests itself as a finger contracture. The affliction develops gradually and substantially restricts finger movements. Its progress is not fully identical in all Patients. Fine lesions of the aponeurotic structure appear in the initial phase of the disorder, which turn into larger nodes and scars in time. This is associated with a limited contracture. It expands at later stages of the condition, to significantly limit hand movements at advanced stages. The Patient is unable to open it fully and has limited gripping capabilities. Patients may also experience hyperhidrosis, reduced fingertip sensation, numbing, tingling, and circulatory malfunctions within their hands. The contractures most frequently affect the ring (fourth) and little (fifth) fingers.
Following both the fasciotomy and fasciectomy, the Patient stands a chance of fully recovering their former manual proficiency. Combining a surgery and an appropriate rehabilitation is the condition of success, however.
Medication doesn’t give a full recovery in this case. It may delay development of the condition, yet will not produce fully proficient hands.
The procedure is recommended to Patients with advanced stages of the disorder. To those, finger movements are substantially restricted and their everyday life is therefore made difficult by the condition.
Each surgery follows a consultation. A technique is selected based on an interview with and examination of the Patient in order to guarantee best results in each individual case. The same applies to treatment of Dupuytren’s contracture.
Your hand is immobilised for 2-3 weeks, the time needed for the wounds to heal. Rehabilitation supervised by a specialist ought to commence then. Hand mobilisation may take from several to a dozen weeks.
I’m afraid this condition, its causes and progress are not fully known yet. It’s difficult to say, therefore, in what cases the disorder recurs and to what extent. You should be aware, though, a contracture surgery doesn’t repair causes of the condition, merely remedies its consequences. Therefore, contractures may arise in another finger or in the other hand, too. Relapses are experienced by a number of Patients.
A dozen minutes to 1 h
General or local
1-2 days
10-14 days
Long-term
Expert
