BILL NIGHY IS one of the most beloved British actors, with appearances in countless iconic films. Besides his impeccable acting skills, one of the first things you might notice about the actor is his hands because he suffers from a genetic condition called Dupuytren’s Contracture, which causes his fingers to curl into his palm.
It is a condition that affects more men than women and usually affects people aged 40 or over. It is caused by thickening of tissues (fascia) in the palm. If the condition progresses, one or more fingers bend (contract) into the palm and you cannot straighten the finger/s. The cause is not known.
I, like Bill, have the condition and watched my little finger bend inwards over the months during the course of 2019. Like most men, I was aware that something was not right, but I was just too busy with work and travel, so it took me a few months to reach the Doctor’s door.
It was a strange experience because the condition produces what they call ‘nodules’ that sit in your palms and lumps on the fingers themselves. My first reaction was that it was age-related because that was my way of parking the issue for another day. Also, it’s easy to look at the finger and think it’s a cyst, especially as I had on one my ankle that looked similar.
And that’s precisely where the Doctor went! Yep, it’s a cyst, so let’s keep an eye on it. I strolled out of the surgery, slightly bemused and dissatisfied with his assessment, mainly because I was only in a few minutes. In their defence, the NHS on tap potion in this country means they’re inundated, so I don’t blame them at all. But this was something that left me thinking rather than accepting the assessment to ‘Keep an eye on it.’
So, like millions of other people, I promoted myself to Doctor Google and went online immediately to self-diagnose. It took me a while, but I eventually got to the bottom of it. It was the way people (and websites) were explaining how the finger gradually bends inwards over time, and because I played a lot of snooker, I noticed precisely that. There were also the doomsday stories that if I were not a level-headed guy, I could have gone down the rabbit hole believing that my hand would drop off.
So, I returned to the Doctor, delivered the news. He was open enough to agree with my self-diagnosis, based on my research, and off I went to see a specialist. After a few sessions, where they assessed both hands, I was booked into the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for surgery.
Post-surgery, I had a bulky dressing (bandage) with a plaster splint that covered my fingers, wrist and forearm, to keep my fingers straight. The splint is similar to a plaster cast that cannot be removed and must be kept dry. Showering and having baths with a plastic bag to keep everything dry was very awkward. I also found sleeping a little awkward because you have to keep your hand above your heart as much as possible to lessen swelling and pain.
My activities became limited for the first four weeks due to pain, swelling, and stiffness in the fingers. But the most challenging part was regaining finger flexion and the ability to make a tight fist and firm grip with the hand. My finger still doesn’t go completely straight, but the surgery certainly made a huge difference, that’s for sure.
Dupuytren’s Contracture can result in disabling hand function and surgery is sometimes – but not always – required to release this tightness. Following surgery, a comprehensive physiotherapy programme is crucial to ensure success of the operation, reduce post-surgical complications and restore the full hand and finger function necessary to return to normal daily activities.
Shaun Gregory
