Rock climbing link to Dupuytren's disease

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uptowngirl

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In 30/09/05 GP's "Journals Watch" I found interest in this:


Rock climbing link to Dupuytren's disease.
Br J Sports Med 2005; 39:639-44

"Hanging from a vertical face is not my idea of fun, but the researchers in this investigation may have had to in order to deliver the 1,100 questionnaires to the members of the Climbers' Club of Great Britain. Their hypothesis was to test if repetitive trauma to the palmar fascia predisposes to Dupuytren's disease. They only received a 51% response rate and almost all were male, but 19.5% had developed the disease and the age of onset was much younger than the general population. The conclusion was naturally, that it confirmed their hypoyhesis. The research was based in Wrexham, so no doubt the orthopaedic surgeons are spending their lives rearranging the hands of those who enjoy the Welsh mountain life."
Journal review by Dr Palmer - GP in Fareham, Hampshire.



Dr Palmer may make light of the research, yet I find it interesting reading.
I also gather that the disease mainly affects white men with North European ancestry - the odds are shortening for me...

I believe Bonjoy may have what appears to be the onset of said disease, illustrated below:

dupuytren1.gif


Does anyone else have experience of this?
 
Surprised the research didn't have more to say about the long-term risks of gluing small pieces of marigold gloves to your palms...

Bonnos always refers to it as a 'syndrome' rather than a 'disease'.
 
I never saw him in the aforementioned 'rubbers' :wink:


'Syndrome' - Any combination of signs or symptoms that are indicative of a particular disease or disorder.
 
It's Dupuytren's Contracture to be pedantic.
Interesting stuff uptown. I had a hunch that the climbing might have been the trigger factor for my early onset. I remember the doctor saying she saw a lot of builders with it, which made me think that hand stress and trauma might be involved. Have also met quite a lot of other climbers with it.
At the mo it doesn't cause any probs apart from on big slopers (although superglue and chopped up rubber gloves can sometimes help :? ) and when guppying blobs.
 
Interestingly enough, repetitive trauma to the palmar fascia predisposes DD (Hmmm...)
ie: People who work with their hands will be more susceptible - Climbers, Builders etc.

This being the case, then will someone please explain the root cause of Peyronie's disease if you can!! :wink:

As an aside JB - are you about the wkd? Jallum and I may pop down socially...
 
Will be out dans la grit Sat. Sunday looks poo, so might do some guide checking at Eastwood or Shining Biff. No fixed plans of an eve yet. When youz thinking of comin' o'er?
 
Johnny Brown said:
Surprised the research didn't have more to say about the long-term risks of gluing small pieces of marigold gloves to your palms....
Click to expand...
Genius, forgot about that
 
I was looking to see what the palmar fascia flexor tendon insert looked like and came up with this:

Controversia theory number 6:

There are up to 109 or 110 members of the climber's club who have an alcohol problem

"Table 4:2 Cutaneous and Other Superficial Signs Suggestive of Alcohol Misuse.
(Click the link for illustrations of each feature)
Spider Naevi
Telangiectasia
Facial Mooning
Parotid enlargement
Palmar erythema
Dupuytren's contracture
Gynaecomastia

http://www.medicouncilalcol.demon.co.uk/handbook/chapter_4.htm

There's a disclaimer saying you can also get it from repeated minor hand trauma but can anyone tell me you've never seen an old climbers (other than me) sink pints like there's no tomorrow?
 
uptowngirl said:
In 30/09/05 GP's "Journals Watch" I found interest in this:


dupuytren1.gif


Does anyone else have experience of this?
Click to expand...


I have experiance of that.....the correct name for it is 'The Shocker'
 
Bonnos, give us the lowdown on this. A lump has appeared on my right hand these last weeks and its in the same place as yours...
 
Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction... because I also developed a lump on my right hand about 2-3 weeks ago. It's almost directly beneath my ring finger about 2/5th's of the way down my palm. It feels like a hard lump, but can also feel sinewy when massaged deeply. I don't know where it came from or why... but I doubt it's a good thing. Even stranger is the fact that we are loved/hated just the same JB. :shrug:
 
I too have one, in line with top of thumb and directly below ring finger. It's definitely got longer (about 1/2 " long now) compared to the lump it was a few months ago
 
I'd be concerned about the radio therapy leading to injury down the tendon - basically, if radioan stops the fibrosing, it will also stop tissue repair. Not much of an issue for joe public, but potentially more of one for us. Does sound good though and if mine gets worse I'll find out more.
 
Mine doesn't bother me at the moment (apart from a callous forming on top of it) I'm just leaving it be.

Callous might just be from recent spate of biking / kayaking anyway.
 
Yeah I notice discomfort mainly when cycling.

I think I'd be keen to nip it in the bud rather than worry about impaired tissue repair.
 
Apparently there is a period of initial growth followed by years of not much. Then it grows again, this time curling your fingers up and creating horseshoe lumps that mean you have to superglue rubber on to hang slopers.

In good company at least - already would seem to be prove the prevalance amongst long time climbers!
 
As far as I was aware, there ha never been a good quality study showing a link. I have looked before but never found anything appropriate. I'll have to have a proper look on PubMed when I get the chance.

All about myofibroblasts.
 

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