Alison Odey

Dupuyren’s Contracture is a painless thickening and drawing together of the ‘palmar fascia’, (skin and tissues of the palm of the palm) which results in a gradual and permanent bending of the fingers.

In cases that have not been too far advanced the following treatments can be successful:

1.   Always check the cervical spine, especially C6 and C7, as in many cases pressure on the nerves in the lower part of the cervical spine will cause reflex pain and/or contracture in the hand.
Often this is preceded by shoulder immobility and the shoulder will need mobilising. An Osteopath or a good Masseuse should be able to do this.
If you live locally then make an Appointment.

2. Use deep massage and strong stretches on the palm of the hand on a daily basis. It is a good idea to get into the habit of doing this yourself while sitting reading or watching TV.

3.  Use castor oil while doing the massage and try applying a castor oil pack over successive nights as castor oil has the ability to greatly soften hardening tissues.
See page on ‘Castor oil packs’

4. Acupuncture or electro-acupressure can sometimes help.

5.   Take a daily Vitamin B complex tablet which contains 150 – 250 mg of vitamin B6 as deficiency of B6 is thought possibly to be implicated in this condition.