BODY SIGNAL ALERT: RING FINGER AND PINKY CONTRACTING INTO PALM
Description and Possible Medical Problems
One of my patients recently told me a story about the time he first became aware of a rare but puzzling disorder of the ring finger and pinky called Dupuytten’s contracture.
“I was about 11, and I was at one of those tacky country fairs with my family. My sister had already won a couple of prizes at the wheel of fortune and the goldfish bowls, but so far I wasn’t having any luck.
“Until we got to the ring toss. Instead of a mete stick pointing towards the sky, there were all these fake hands with everything but the index finger pointing up. In fact, I remember looking up to see what they were all pointing at.
“I bought a few rings for a quarter and managed to hook one out of three. I wanted to try again for the second tier of prizes, but my parents were ready to go. The prize I won was this cut-off rubber hand with red paint smeared all over the wrist. I flopped it around at my sister, who grabbed the hand and tried to make it give me ‘the finger’ behind my parents’ backs.
“All she could manage was to fold in the ring finger and pinky. She was only seven, so she didn’t know which was the correct obscene gesture. But at the instant I saw the ring finger and pinky folded in, I thought that it looked just like my father’s hand.”
Indeed, this condition, called Dupuytren’s contracture, is genetic and is most prevalent in men in their 40s. This was precisely the case with my patient. Dupuytren’s contracture occurs when the tissue located in the palm of your hand becomes thick and actually starts to shrink pulling the fingers into the palm. The cause of Dupuytren’s contracture is not known, but in addition to being a genetic condition, it also frequently appears in epileptics and alcoholics. Dupuytren’s contracture is usually not painful; however, it can make any work that involves your hands difficult and even impossible.
Treatment
Surgery is often recommended in order to regain the full use of your hand. The process involves removing the shrunken tissue; in many cases, this will be enough to free up movement. Some people, however, will need skin grafts to the area in order to regain the full range of motion. In both cases, however, you will need to work with a hand therapist or physical therapist to totally regain the use of your hand.
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