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Early Dupuytren’s disease that doesn’t require medical care can simply be managed, wearing padded gloves to prevent discomfort with activities like weightlifting or weight bearing can often help minimize some of the discomfort from small nodules in the palm. When there are contractures that are forming and functional losses occurring due to loss of motion, medical care is appropriate. The diagnosis is confirmed with physical examination. There are no medical tests such as x-rays or ultrasound that will confirm Dupuytren’s contracture. It’s a physical diagnosis, made by a doctor. One of the tests we use is called the tabletop test. If my left hand is a table and my right hand is the hand with a condition. We want to see whether or not a patient is able to flatten their hand fully onto the table, or whether that attempt is failed by inability to straighten the fingers. And the hand can no longer be made flat. In that case, a failure of the tabletop test indicates that there’s a significant contracture and that medical treatment for that contracture is probably indicated.
