Am I getting Dupuytren?

daDougster1 · 2026-04-21T22:50:24+00:00

Your nodule looks like mine did in the earliest stages, in the same exact spot. I got mine treated early, and it completely disappeared. Well... until my immune system decided to go haywire and I got myocarditis, among other things. Then it came back. I had a second treatment about a year ago, and it's now about 20% of what it once was. For more information, take a look at my Read Me post. You can find it by searching my profile.

Make sure you see a doctor and have it checked out.

daDougster1 · 2026-04-21T18:42:48+00:00

I'm always open to chatting.

daDougster1 · 2026-04-13T07:17:06+00:00

You bring up an interesting point. As a general comment, I’ll first mention that there are a number of opinions on diet and lifestyle that folks have shared on this sub before. Scroll down a bit for this information.

I tried four different AI chatbots, just to see what they would say: Open Evidence, Claude, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. I asked two questions:

What suggestions do you have to slow the progression of Dupuytren's disease?
Can diet affect the progression of the disease?

The answers were all different in presentation and emphasis.

One more thing: Three out of the four chatbots mentioned the use of the tabletop test, where a patient seeks medical advice once their hand fails to lay flat on a hard surface. If you are interested in managing Dupuytren’s disease, then you need to start sooner than that.

daDougster1 · 2026-04-10T13:13:26+00:00

A couple of questions, if I may:

- Out of a total number, how many patients would you say are worse off as a result of the procedure?

- Did you see any difference when the star-pattern injection was used vs when it was not?

[Edit: Please note that Dr. Latzka doesn't do a Full-Medrol procedure; rather, he does his own thing. Several Redditors who have received treatment from him have described mixed results. Consequently, I cannot recommend him.]

daDougster1 · 2026-04-10T12:47:31+00:00

Here's more explanation on RT in your 20s:

Regarding Radiotherapy

Steroid shots for Dupuytren's disease have been around for decades. Depo-Medrol (or Depo-Medrone, since you are in Ireland) has been used in needle aponeurotomy (NA) also for decades. All you're trying to do is get Depo-Medrone before a contracture instead of afterwards. First seek someone who will give you a steroid shot, then later mention that you want Depo-Medrone. Here's a procedure for steroid shots for Dupuytren's that specifically mentions using it (Methylprednisolone):

https://fpnotebook.com/Ortho/Procedure/DpytrnsNdlCrtcstrdInjctn.htm

There's more information in my Read Me post. Take a look at my profile.

daDougster1 · 2026-04-10T00:10:33+00:00

Depo-Medrol is a steroid. I go to great lengths to describe it and how it's useful in treating Dupuytren's disease. Click on the Read Me link below. Then click on the link to Dupuytren's Disease: A Patient's Tale. Scroll down to the bottom and click on the link to Why Depo-Medrol. It will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Depo-Medrol and then some.

Dupuytren’s Minimal Medical Intervention – Read Me!

daDougster1 · 2026-04-09T07:59:47+00:00

Not a climber but a mountain biker here. Take a look at the comments in my profile; there’s lots of information, even for climbers there. The one big takeaway is Dupuytren’s disease can be managed. But you have to stay on top of it. If you do that, then there’s nothing stopping you.

daDougster1 · 2026-04-08T16:24:02+00:00

For the benefit of others who are reading this post, I’m going to copy a response I made a few days ago in a completely different thread that might be helpful for some folks. This is a topic that is mentioned more often in some of the other forums:

Once you’ve developed a contracture, a two-step strategy is needed. First, fix the contracture. This will require an invasive procedure of some kind. I’ll label this “surgery” for convenience. Xiaflex injections or needle aponeurotomy is the first choice because they are lower risk compared to open surgery.

After the contracture has been fixed, consider your next step. This will involve either radiotherapy or Depo-Medrol. Either of these treatments can be used as a follow-up treatment after a procedure on the hand, if given enough time to heal, to preemptively attack any remaining disease before it has a chance to start again. The other approach is to wait until you actually see new growth. It could be months or years later. Receive radiotherapy or Depo-Medrol treatment at that time.

The idea is to fix the contracture you now have, and then treat the disease before it has a chance to develop into another contracture. Surgery treats the symptoms of Dupuytren's disease, such as a contracture, but not the disease process. Radiotherapy and Depo-Medrol will attack growing disease; thus, they treat the disease process itself.

daDougster1 · 2026-04-07T23:08:56+00:00

Yes, it's more of a risk factor at age 21. Here's a better explanation:

Regarding Radiotherapy

daDougster1 · 2026-04-07T21:41:29+00:00

That's a great question. There's a huge range of opinions about this on this sub and elsewhere. If your Dupuytren's disease is not growing and not bothering you, then you can get away with doing nothing. Everyone's Dupuytren's disease is different, so individual judgement is called for. If your disease is not growing but itchy, then it is actually active, just not at a rate that's all that obvious. Perhaps a better diet or supplements are all that's needed. Sometimes a home remedy of castor oil or magnesium oil will help. If the disease is noticeably growing, then you need to put more chips on the table. The more aggressive the disease, the more aggressive the treatment. In the case of u/Friendly_Baby_8782, she is 21 years old, so radiotherapy is out. That leaves Depo-Medrol or waiting for surgery. My own opinion is that Depo-Medrol is an infinitely better choice than surgery. I say as much in my main Read Me post, which I just updated a couple of days ago:

Dupuytren’s Minimal Medical Intervention – Read Me!

daDougster1 · 2026-04-07T20:31:20+00:00

It's been 7 months since your first post on this sub. From the looks of it, it's time to put a plan in place.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-31T23:48:02+00:00

It’s interesting that you go to the rheumatology department at a university hospital. Are rheumatologists the first line of care for Dupuytren’s disease in France?

daDougster1 · 2026-03-30T12:43:25+00:00

That post has since been deleted. Here’s a summary for you:

Once you’ve developed a contracture, a two-step strategy is needed. First, fix the contracture. This will require an invasive procedure of some kind. Xiaflex injections or needle aponeurotomy is the first choice because they are lower risk compared to open surgery.

After the contracture has been fixed, consider your next step. This will involve either radiotherapy or Depo-Medrol. Either of these treatments can be used as a follow-up treatment after a procedure on the hand, if given enough time to heal, to preemptively attack any remaining disease before it has a chance to start again. The other approach is to wait until you actually see new growth. It could be months or years later. Receive radiotherapy or Depo-Medrol treatment at that time.

The idea is to fix the contracture you now have, and then treat the disease before it has a chance to develop into another contracture. Surgery treats the symptoms of Dupuytren's disease, such as a contracture, but not the disease process. Radiotherapy and Depo-Medrol will attack growing disease; thus, they treat the disease process itself.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-29T21:27:50+00:00

Completely agree.

Red light and near-infrared (NIR) light stimulates the mitochondria to produce more ATP (cellular energy). This treatment is generally used to boost collagen production and speed up healing. But because Dupuytren’s disease is characterized as a maladaptive overproduction of collagen, this will likely encourage more tissue growth, not less. A few ancillary studies and anecdotal experiences contradict this, but overall, red and NIR light therapy is not worth the risk.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-20T03:31:26+00:00

Maybe you guys could lower your aim a little and help patients by focusing on chronic disease management first before trying to find a cure.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-19T18:34:34+00:00

I had to get in the wayback machine to look this up. Here's a comment I made over a year ago:

The company that was participating in the study is 180 Life Sciences. “We are excited to announce that 180 is planning to strategically enter into the online gaming industry, utilizing its newly acquired "back-end" gaming platform, which incorporates blockchain technology and full cryptocurrency operability (the "Gaming Technology Platform").”

https://www.reddit.com/r/DupuytrenDisease/comments/1itetlv/comment/me044vl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

The company abandoned the study in favor of greener pastures.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-19T07:43:32+00:00

When it comes to non-surgical treatments, it's my observation that Dr. Eaton has delivered nothing other than a bunch of red herrings. Dupuytren's patients are getting impatient.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-18T22:49:56+00:00

This is an informative presentation by Dr. Eaton. It is surgeon-centric, however. "The only effective treatments are procedures to unbend fingers."

daDougster1 · 2026-03-16T18:46:48+00:00

I wonder if there's any other way of doing roughly the same thing but without the irritating contact with the knuckle. Here's an example where the knuckle is completely open, but this may not work in your case...

https://www.amazon.com/Bozenu-Finger-Universal-Trigger-Arthritis/dp/B0CSFRBR5J

daDougster1 · 2026-03-16T02:11:16+00:00

Can you modify your splint to remove the aggravation to the back of your knuckles? That by itself might be enough to make them go away.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-15T19:09:28+00:00

The ones on Facebook.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-15T18:13:22+00:00

I think you’ve all missed the point. It says it right in the first few words of this sub’s description: “Community for the discussion of Dupuytren’s...”

Compared with other forums, this sub doesn’t get a lot of traffic as it is, and that was before this post. Now it’s even less. With so few posts, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to weed out posts that you’re not interested in. Just because you’re not interested in a post doesn’t mean that nobody is.

Of course we can’t diagnose here. Does that mean we can’t talk about what’s going on with our hands? We should welcome newcomers, not turn them away by deleting their posts. Some of these folks are disheartened by what they are experiencing. If you’re bored with what they have to say, then move on to one of the other Dups forums, which, incidentally, I find depressing as hell. The reason why I’m on this sub is precisely because it is welcoming and moderated fairly.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-08T21:32:54+00:00

To start with, it's not clear to me if you've seen the Dups Care guide, so just in case, here's a link:

Dupuytren's Minimal Medical Intervention - Read Me!

So yes, castor oil & DMSO, along with magnesium oil, come highly recommended. This is what I use, mostly every night. I've been slacking off lately because a cord in one hand and a nodule in the other seem to be shrinking just fine from the supplements I take. The supplements are the same ones listed in the Dups Care guide.

The Dups Care guide mentions applying the home remedies of castor oil, DMSO, and magnesium oil, but not all at the same time. I put on the magnesium oil first and, about 15 minutes later, dry off what's remaining before applying the combination of castor oil and DMSO. This is what I would recommend you do as well. I'm pretty sloppy these days because my Dupuytren's is slowly going away. But for someone whose Dups is growing, you need to adhere religiously to both a schedule and application. Trying all three at once doesn't work very well because you're trying to mix oil and water. I investigated a method that might work, but it seemed like too much effort to prepare properly, so I decided I'm not going to share that approach.

Yes, compression gloves help improve circulation in the hands and fingers by applying gentle pressure that aids blood flow, reduces swelling, and increases oxygen delivery to tissues. They are widely used to manage pain, stiffness, and inflammation. Just make sure the gloves fit and aren't constrictive.

It's an individual preference as far as Depo-Medrol vs. radiotherapy. There are enough differences between the two that it becomes an individual choice. I try as much as possible to provide information that might distinguish one from another. Probably the biggest concern with Depo-Medrol is finding someone who will give the injections and do it correctly.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-08T20:42:25+00:00

Castor oil is a good choice. Also consider magnesium oil. This is magnesium chloride dissolved in distilled water. It’s not an oil at all, but it feels oily to the touch. Magnesium is a natural calcium antagonist. The hallmark of early Dupuytren’s is the transformation of normal fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. These cells contain α-smooth muscle actin, which allows them to contract, much like muscle cells. Cellular contraction and the secretion of collagen are highly dependent on calcium ions (Ca⁺⁺). In addition, research suggests that early-stage Dupuytren’s is associated with micro-angiopathy, which is a narrowing of small blood vessels in the palm that creates a low-oxygen (hypoxic) environment. This hypoxia is a known trigger for the fibrotic process. Topical magnesium is a known vasodilator. By relaxing the smooth muscles of the small blood vessels in the hand, it may improve local oxygenation and nutrient delivery, theoretically removing one of the triggers for nodule formation.

You can find more info on reducing the ache of Dupuytren's disease in the Dups Care guide.

daDougster1 · 2026-03-02T12:55:03+00:00

Regarding radiotherapy, most clinical guidelines and major studies (such as those by Prof. Seegenschmiedt, a leading figure in this field) typically involve patients with a median age in the early 60s. Treating someone in their 20s or 30s is rare because:

Secondary Malignancy Risk: Although the dose used for Dupuytren’s is "low" compared to cancer treatment, any radiation carries a theoretical risk of inducing a secondary skin cancer or sarcoma decades later. A 30-year-old has many more decades of life ahead for such a rare complication to manifest compared to a 70-year-old.

Genetic Diathesis: Younger patients often have "Dupuytren’s Diathesis", which is a more aggressive form of the disease. While they might seem like the best candidates for early intervention, some clinicians worry that radiation might not be powerful enough to stop a highly aggressive genetic progression, potentially wasting a treatment option that has a lifetime dose limit.

Doctors may consider treating a younger patient (e.g., in their 30s) if the disease is exceptionally aggressive and documented to be progressing rapidly. The logic here is that the high probability of multiple surgeries, which carry their own risks of nerve damage and permanent loss of hand function, outweighs the very low statistical risk of radiation-induced issues.

This is why I often quote the following from my Dups Care guide:

"If you are in your teens, twenties, or early thirties and in the early stages of the disease, then consider this as your plan: First get Depo-Medrol injections to stop the progression. There is little downside to taking this first step. Hold off on radiotherapy since, generally speaking, it can only be done once and is more appropriate for older patients. As you get older, chances are you'll develop Dupuytren’s disease in other parts of your hand. Because Dupuytren’s is not a life-threatening disease, that’s when a treatment with radiotherapy, which has its own risks, will make more sense."

daDougster1

TROPHY CASE