Rock climbing link to Dupuytren's disease

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SA Chris said:
I hope not literally like that, there's no way any of my fingers will curl that much..
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I (also with dupuytrens) have done stretches like those when having issues with stiffness, while nowhere near that range amazing the improvement if held for a while, I found could do them while walking.

I am of the 'don't mess with it' school of thought to my nodules and mainly look to avoid aggravating them, which includes some of the massaging/stretching suggestions. I did puncture (I think) one slapping onto a sharp fin of limestone in Sicily, it wept profusefly for a few days and was then noticeably smaller for a couple of years. I do think the nodules likely make the tendons run less well meaning extra potential for finger issues.
 
I have had Dupuytren's on both hands since I was 18. They never got too bad, I think hanging open handed a lot helped.
After taking 6 ISH years off climbing I started up again last year. Quite quickly my Dupuytren's flared up really badly.

I had surgery to correct a very badly contracted ring and pinkie finger in August.
 
It was a dermofasciectomy with a full thickness skin graft, which is supposed to reduce the incidence of recurrence.

Pinkie was numb for a month, took 2 months to return to regular strength.

I have to wear a splint on it at night to help the tissue lengthen or at least not contract.
 
Just bumping this up as had an interesting development at the wall yesterday.

Spent ages climbing a slab problem that I'd done before but forgotten how to do (senior problems), which involved multiple foot moves and staying on one small crimp while I sorted my feet out. I came down off the problem and felt like I'd pulled a tendon in my hand. Mercifully the fingers are fine but looks like I've aggravated one of the existing ganglions and have developed significant though not particularly painful bruising in my palm.

All my other ganglions (3) developed slowly over time and I've never had visible bruising or swelling. I'm not overly concerned...

Has anyone experienced this before?
 
fatneck said:
Has anyone experienced this before?
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Well I did Varain/Aidans stupid sling pick up finger testing things, not only did I have very painful DIP joints for the next month, but I my Duputryen's lumps in my palm went pretty big and noticeable in my right hand! No bruising mind.
 
Oddly, I thought about this post only yesterday, as I now have a lump growing directly under the knuckle of little finger that I had not noticed before. It's much higher on the palm than the DC on my ring finger (which is lower down than the knuckle). Is this typical?

I've not done any silly single finger sling pickups, still rehabbing pulley on the same hand.
 
Thanks for replies.

Oddly enough I looked in Ganglions online and nowhere does it mention them occurring on the palm of the hand! I was thinking that maybe this thread wasn't the best place for talking about them but now feel it is... In terms of Chris's question about typicality, I have no idea sorry.

And Dan, I am amused at the issue we face sounding similar but that we are operating at complete opposite ends of the ability scale ;D

I have no pain when using the fingers at all, just a sensitivity in the palm when pressed....

Will post up any developments...
 
Sounds more like DC lumps than ganglions. Mine don't hurt themselves, but the skin on top them can get sore when you swing about on a big hold that digs into them. I have one on ring finger on right hand (and now one growing on little hand) and smaller ones on index and ring fingers on the right. Send me a pic.
 
I'm vaguely and self diagnosed, 3 fingers of the right hand and pinkie of left. I mentioned it in passing to my rheumatologist and she just remarked "oh that's interesting", didn't seem too concerned. Mine are very slowly getting bigger over the last 7-8y but can still bend all the fingers back. The biggest catches on slopers occasionally (sometimes helps) but no real pain.

The oddest thing is flopping the RH pinkie side to side, the finger rides straight past 'top dead centre' and is more comfortable one or other side. Kind of like the opposite of a self-centring headset on a worn out bike.

Are other people concerned or just accepting as a quirk?
 
richdraws said:
It was a dermofasciectomy with a full thickness skin graft, which is supposed to reduce the incidence of recurrence.

Pinkie was numb for a month, took 2 months to return to regular strength.

I have to wear a splint on it at night to help the tissue lengthen or at least not contract.
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Out of interest, how bad was it to consider surgery? Mine was nodules for ages (10 years) but has recently worsened. My pinkie is 20 to 30 degrees off straight. It still works and I can climb. Only causes any pain/stiffness if I do squeezey things like using secuteurs (sp?) in the garden.
 
clm said:
richdraws said:
It was a dermofasciectomy with a full thickness skin graft, which is supposed to reduce the incidence of recurrence.

Pinkie was numb for a month, took 2 months to return to regular strength.

I have to wear a splint on it at night to help the tissue lengthen or at least not contract.
Click to expand...

Out of interest, how bad was it to consider surgery? Mine was nodules for ages (10 years) but has recently worsened. My pinkie is 20 to 30 degrees off straight. It still works and I can climb. Only causes any pain/stiffness if I do squeezey things like using secuteurs (sp?) in the garden.
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Obviously not been to the doctors…
 
On the facebook page a lot of people are getting radiotherapy which appears to generally be successful, but I don't think it's available on the NHS.

Recommend going to a doc ASAP so it's on record and they can see the rate at which it's progressing, which is often used as an indicator as to if treatment is justified.
 
Mine has been steadily growing for the last year or so.

It started with a vague notion of a lump or swelling but couldn't really tell if was anything.

I was on the way home from hols just this weekend and commented that "I'm def going to the docs about this when I get back" as its now a definite pea sized lump. Still haven't booked an appointment, but shall do so tomorrow thanks to this thread.
 
i have a nodule in line with my ring finger that hasn't grown in about 5 years, directly underneath knuckle, but noticed a small one starting to form directly under the knuckle of my pinkie. neither have restricted anything I do at the moment, just the skin gets rubbed and sore when I swing about on on big holds on a steep board.
 
Mine has been 'stable' (couple of palm nodules on LH pinky and ring tendons) until the last 6-8 weeks or so. Now I have a slight numbness/ache/pain running from these down through my wrist. Mainly triggered by overhanging pinches.
 
I have had DT for over 15 years. Left hand middle and index finger tendons and RH middle, index and pinkie

I found that it flared up/developed and caused some issues in the first few years, with me waking up at night sometimes with full contracture in one or both hands - needed massage to help it relax.

It maybe coincidental but mine first appeared shortly after taking supplements (glucosamine I think)

I may be lucky but mine has really settled down and has not got any worse in terms of nodules over the last 10 years.

I rarely get the overnight contractures any more. I sometimes get it a little after multiple heavy fingery bouldering session in a week.

Given how bad it was 12+ year ago I was concerned it was going to be a serious problem that needed surgery, and I might have even opted for it as a preventative measure if I had seen a doctor.

I am still climbing pretty well (up to V9) and as regularly as ever. 3-4 times a week.

I expect at some point it will worsen, but will be happy if I can make it to my mid 50s without it causing me major problems (45 currently).

Oh yes! Also I never massage mine anyore. They seem happiest when left alone! I did in the early days and it seemed to lead to some discomfort and if anything worsening.
 

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