6 signs and symptoms of Dupuytren’s contracture
Dupuytren’s contracture is a skin condition in which the tissues in the palm of one’s hand become abnormally thick. In several cases, both palms get affected, making it harder for people to use their hands for tasks. While this condition has no cure, specific management options can improve a person’s quality of life. Detecting this disease in its early stages is vital to achieving that objective. Here are some signs of Dupuytren’s contracture:
1. Mobility issues
As implied earlier, this disease deprives people of proper use of their hands. People usually use their hands to move things around, which requires mobility, and Dupuytren contracture makes simple mobility incredibly challenging for individuals with this condition. Certain activities, like making a fist or holding objects with one’s hands, are still somewhat possible for individuals even after developing this condition. However, a person’s fingers, palm, and hand have a decreased range of motion. For instance, baseball or badminton players will notice that holding a baseball bat or a badminton racket is challenging.
2. Nodules on hands
The first sign of Dupuytren contracture in the body is the appearance of small bumps under the skin on a person’s palm. These nodules appear at the base of one’s fingers. Usually, people can feel and even see the nodules as they appear in their raw state for the first time. They make the skin on and around the palm appear puckered or dimpled. The presence of nodules in a person’s hands is the clearest sign of the disease spreading through their palmar fascia or the connective tissue on their palm. Many people mistake these nodules for a symptom of skin cancer.
In many cases, individuals do not show other symptoms apart from nodules. Also, in certain cases, the nodules simply go away on their own without any medical intervention. In fact, at an early stage, it is advisable for people not to seek treatment for Dupuytren contracture, as that could make the symptoms worse for them.
3. Cords on the skin
With time, the nodules that first appear on the hand thicken and stretch. Eventually, they turn into long cords of tissue on the fascia of the hands. These cords create the sensation that the fingers are constantly being pulled inward (toward the palm).
One can seek medical intervention by visiting their dermatologist or other healthcare professional when the bands appear on their palms and fingers.
4. Inability to flex the palm
As the bands grow increasingly thick with time, they seriously hamper the fingers and make it hard for people to stretch out their hands fully. Due to this, certain tasks become impossible to perform, like washing one’s face without poking oneself in the eye. The most affected fingers are the pinky and ring fingers.
This inability to fully open one’s hands also makes it tough for people to do other tasks like grabbing things and hooks for support and movement assistance. As a result, the mobility challenges seen at an earlier point are reinforced further. This condition is known as the contracture of one’s hands in medical terms. After a while, the problem becomes so pronounced that people struggle to open their palms to some degree or flex their fingers.
5. Tenderness and itchiness in hands
A surprising thing about this condition is that it does not trigger hand pain. Instead, people with Dupuytren contracture will likely feel the discomfort of tenderness and itchiness in their hands. According to certain studies, about 25% of people with this condition complain of tenderness, itching, skin burns without any reason, and pressure on the skin as the disease progresses with time. Inflammation is also seen on the hands, making it more difficult to open and use them.
6. Inability to wear gloves
As the fingers remain folded for extended periods, people with Dupuytren contracture cannot wear gloves for any purpose, as the gloves do not stay connected to their hands. As a result, individuals with this condition are advised to avoid tasks requiring them to wear gloves on their hands.
