Dupuytrens Contracture Surgery Patient Guide (2023)

FAQs

How long does Dupuytren's surgery take to heal? ›

Surgery will include making an incision along the palm of your hand and finger with the tight bands and nodules being carefully removed, and if necessary, the skin grafted over the palm. Recovery time is between 4 – 12 weeks, depending on the severity of the finger condition.

Activity and Use of your Hand:

By 2 weeks post surgery you should be able to use your hand for most normal day to day tasks. You are able to drive as soon as pain allows and you are safe to control the vehicle.

Surgical incisions will vary based on the extent of your Dupuytren's contracture but may look like a zig-zag on the palmar surface of the finger and hand. Dupuytren's contracture release can be painful. You will receive a prescription for narcotic pain medicine.

You may have some numbness or tingling of fingers due to the local anesthetic injections used to help control post-operative pain (this should wear off within about 24 hours).

In the first week or two after surgery, you may have pain, swelling, tingling, or numbness in your palm and fingers. Over-the-counter pain medicines should address the sensitivity. Two or three weeks after your procedure, your hand surgeon will remove any stitches used in your surgery.

This surgery may be done while you are asleep or while you are awake. If you are awake, you will get medicine to numb your hand and prevent pain. You may also get medicine to help you relax. The doctor will make a cut, called an incision, in the skin of your palm.

Healing from a hand surgery will averagely take six weeks. this whole time, you need to regularly visit your physician to ensure that the recovery process goes as planned.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Hand Surgery? While the obvious answer is “it depends,” there are some general rules and guidelines about recovering from surgery. Generally, it takes 2 to 4 months before the typical patient experiences enough recovery to return to work.

After 48 hours, surgical wounds can get wet without increasing the risk of infection. After this time, you can get your stitches wet briefly with a light spray (such as in the shower), but they should not be soaked (for example, in the bath). Make sure you pat the area dry afterwards.

Are you put to sleep for hand surgery? ›

Many hand surgery procedures can now be performed under local anesthesia in the clinic setting, without the need for sedation or general anesthesia, using a technique called WALANT, which stands for wide awake local anesthesia no tourniquet.

Your hand will be in a splint and immobilized, rendering you unable to drive. Even if your procedure was not outpatient, someone will have to drive you home from the hospital once you are discharged – and most hospitals and clinics now require that the driver be someone you personally know.

2. Don't delay in getting treatment. Sure, some minor aches and pains can resolve themselves with home treatment and support. But they shouldn't last for three or four weeks.

Keep your hand elevated above the level of your heart for 3-5 days. While sitting in a chair or lying in bed, place your arm on pillows to keep it elevated. While walking around, keep your hand elevated on your opposite shoulder. You may discontinue elevation when lowering the hand no longer causes it to throb.

Both alcohol and smoking are frequently mentioned as risk factors for Dupuytren's contracture. “The evidence for smoking is stronger than for drinking, and it makes sense because smoking, like diabetes, decreases blood supply to the hand,” Evans says.

Dupuytren's disease sometimes comes back after surgery. Talk with your doctor about your risk of the disease returning after surgery. If it comes back, you may need to decide whether to have another surgery. There are other nonsurgical treatments for Dupuytren's.

In many cases, this surgery successfully eliminates Dupuytren's contracture. Results usually are long-lasting, and the rate of recurrence is low. Recovery after the surgery, however, may take three months or more, and involves extensive physical therapy to regain use of the fingers and hand.

Remember not to eat or drink anything after midnight prior to your surgery, or as directed by your anesthesiologist. This includes water, breath mints and even chewing gum. Having food in your stomach can create a risk during surgery.

Your surgeon might teach you the “hand above elbow, elbow above heart” rule. When sleeping, it may help to use a large mound of pillows, either beside you or on your chest, to keep your hand and wrist in this elevated position.

Is hand surgery complicated? ›

Tendons are the fibers that join muscle to bone. Tendon repair in the hand is a difficult surgery because of the structure of the tendon. Tendon injuries can occur due to infection, trauma, or sudden rupture.

Surgery is never easy. It is a stressful and sometimes painful process. However, there is one key thing that you can do after surgery to prevent pain and help speed up your recovery, physical therapy (PT). Today, many surgeons recommend starting PT almost immediately after surgery.

Wound Care

You may apply a new dressing to the wound on the third day after surgery. Seven days after surgery it is allowable to get your surgical wound wet in the shower. Do not immerse the wound in water.

Numbness or tingling in your arm or hand that has not gone away 24 hours after your surgery. A lot of pain that does not get better when you take your pain medication. If you do not have a follow-up appointment, please call your surgeon's office to make one.

A hand surgery patient should expect a recovery period of several weeks or months, depending on the complexity of the surgery and their body's capacity to heal. During recovery, patients should refrain from using their hands in any manner not approved by their surgeon.

Foods such as low-sodium soup, crackers, bananas, applesauce, protein bars, protein shakes, pudding, yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese, Jell-O, frozen dinners, and popsicles will provide the nutrients you need in an easy-to-digest formula.

This is because your wound should not be soaked in water until it's healed. It could cause the skin to soften and reopen the wound. Guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) say you can have a shower 48 hours after surgery.

Showering too soon after surgery can cause your incision to re-open, inhibit the healing process, cause complications like infection, or worsen your surgical scars.

The hand needs to be kept elevated (above the level of the heart) for the first few days following the surgery until the risk of swelling has passed. For this reason, you are likely to have your arm placed in a sling after the operation.

Do you need to inform car insurance after surgery? ›

Your insurance company should always be informed about your operation. Some companies will not insure you for up to 4 weeks after an oesophagectomy, so it is important to understand what your policy says.

The inflammatory process is most active in the first 24 hours after a surgery, persisting for up to 2 weeks. We recommend that you continue the aforementioned icing routine for the first 2 weeks after your surgery. This is a very effective way to maximize your healing environment.

The main reason there is pain after surgery is swelling or inflammation. Usually, the peak time for this is the first 3 days after surgery. The best ways to limit swelling, inflammation, and pain are ice, elevation, ibuprofen (or other NSAID medication), and rest.

The goal of treatment for Dupuytren's is to reduce the symptoms and disability caused by the disease. At this time, however, there is no treatment to stop Dupuytren's contracture from getting worse.

It has been claimed that striking success can be gained in the treatment of Dupu'tren's contracture of the palmar fascia by simple oral administration of vitamin E in high dosage. It has been said that, after such treatment, thickening of the fascia disappears anti contracture of the fingers is relieved.

In terms of the immunological features of DD, evidence has persistently suggested the involvement of both T and B lymphocytes in DD etiology [7, 38]. As such, the disease has frequently been termed a “T-cell-mediated autoimmune disorder” [6].

Generally, it takes 2 to 4 months before the typical patient experiences enough recovery to return to work. Ultimately, it can take several months to more than a year to recover 100 percent, but this is not usually necessary before one can return to living a relatively normal life.

Recurrence within the first few years after surgery has been reported in the range of 27% to 34% 1564282 1960492. Recurrence rates five years or more after surgery are higher, ranging from 40% to 74% 1564282 1481713, 1564282, 1284017,1284016, 3181828, 3233038 .

The best way to do this comfortably is to lie flat on your back with your hand resting on a few pillows. Elevate your hand for at least three days after surgery.

How can I speed up my hand recovery? ›

Both alcohol and smoking are frequently mentioned as risk factors for Dupuytren's contracture. “The evidence for smoking is stronger than for drinking, and it makes sense because smoking, like diabetes, decreases blood supply to the hand,” Evans says.

What causes Dupuytren's contracture? Dupuytren's contracture is believed to run in families (be hereditary). The exact cause is not known. It may be linked to cigarette smoking, alcoholism, diabetes, nutritional deficiencies, or medicines used to treat seizures.

Dupuytren contracture occurs most commonly after the age of 50. Sex. Men are much more likely to develop Dupuytren than are women. In men, symptoms may be worse and progress more quickly.

This condition causes a limited range of motion in one or both hands. This complication can result in an inability to perform work tasks. If the condition is severe enough to prohibit them from working, individuals suffering from the condition can apply for Social Security disability insurance.

Dupuytren's contracture: This form of arthritis causes the tissue beneath the hand to develop nodules in the fingers and palms. These lumps can cause the fingers to stick in place.

Corticosteroid injections are sometimes used to treat painful nodules. The medication is injected directly into the affected area. Radiotherapy has also been used to prevent disease progression for early stage Dupuytren's disease.

Nerve Injury

2 Dupuytren's cords can be closely wrapped around nerves in the fingers and sometimes the cord pulls the nerve into an unexpected location. With any invasive treatment, the nerve can be injured. When a nerve injury occurs, the finger can develop tingling or numbness and this can be a permanent problem.

And although the tiny nerve endings in the palm issue may turn out to be something, there's no data to suggest that pinched nerves, peripheral neuropathy or central nervous problems cause Dupuytren disease.

A specific form of Dupuytren's contracture developing as a result of hand trauma has been observed and discussed previously [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. The first publications describing this phenomenon introduced repetitive trauma as a possible cause [7].