Clinical content drawn from Dr. Loredo's Dupuytren's contracture condition page · Published 2026-10-28
This one-minute video explains Dupuytren's contracture: cords that form under the skin of the palm and pull the fingers into a bent position, the three warning signs worth acting on, and how treatment moves from observation and hand therapy to a mini-incision or open fasciotomy, when needed.
Full transcript
Spoken by Sarah, Dr. Loredo's AI education assistant.
Can your palm still lie flat on a table? Hi, I'm Sarah, Dr. Loredo's AI education assistant.
Dupuytren's contracture is a thickening of the tissue just under the skin of your palm.
Over time, cords form and pull the fingers, most often the ring and small fingers, into a bent position.
Watch for three warning signs. One: a painless lump in the palm. Two: a firm band running from the palm into a finger.
Three: your palm will not lie flat on a tabletop. Early, mild disease is observed, and hand therapy can help keep your motion.
When it gets in the way of daily tasks, surgery, when needed, releases the cord with a mini-incision or open fasciotomy.
Call (972) 939-4974, or start your forms at loredohand.com. New patients are seen within days.
Questions patients ask
What is Dupuytren's contracture?
Dupuytren's contracture is a benign but progressive thickening and shortening of the palmar fascia, the connective tissue layer just beneath the skin of the palm. Nodules and then cords of fascia pull one or more fingers, most often the ring and small fingers, into a fixed bent position that cannot be passively straightened. It is not contagious and it is not a cancer, but it tends to recur over years and is managed as a chronic condition.
What are the warning signs of Dupuytren's contracture?
A painless nodule in the palm, often near the base of the ring or small finger. Skin pitting or dimpling over the nodule. A thickened band, or cord, running from the palm into a finger. Being unable to lay the palm flat on a tabletop. Fingers slowly bending toward the palm, and difficulty washing the face, putting the hand in a pocket, or shaking hands.
How is Dupuytren's contracture treated?
Treatment is staged. Early, mild disease without significant contracture is observed, and many patients stay stable for years; hand therapy and stretching can help maintain range of motion. Once the contracture interferes with function, often when the palm can no longer lie flat on a table, Dr. Loredo treats Dupuytren's with surgery: a mini-incision fasciotomy for a well-defined cord with a moderate contracture at the knuckle, or an open fasciotomy for severe contracture, involvement of the middle joint of the finger (the PIP joint), recurrent disease, or thin or tethered skin. Surgery, when needed, is scheduled at the first available opening after your evaluation.
Who treats Dupuytren's contracture near Southlake and Dallas-Fort Worth?
Dr. Pedro Loredo, MD, board-certified in General Surgery (American Board of Surgery) and Hand Surgery (American Board of Plastic Surgery), at Loredo Hand Care Institute, 431 E State Hwy 114, Suite 380, Southlake, TX 76092. The practice serves Southlake, Grapevine, Colleyville, Keller, Hurst, Bedford, Euless, North Richland Hills, Dallas and Fort Worth. New patients are seen within days. Call (972) 939-4974. Se habla español.
Read the full Dupuytren's contracture condition page · Video: trigger finger
If this sounds like your hand
Call Loredo Hand Care Institute or start your forms online. New patients are seen within days; surgery, when needed, is scheduled at the first available opening. Se habla español.