Dupuytren's Contracture and MELT

I’ve had several clients over the years who were managing Dupuytren’s contracture without medication and surgery, and I always love to show them the MELT Hand Treatment so they can make this easy and gentle method part of their self-care.

Dupuytren’s contracture is scientifically a fibroproliferative disorder, meaning that it promotes the growth and proliferation of fibroblasts, the most basic connective tissue cell. It makes the connective tissue hard and stiff around the tendons, and it reduces blood supply to the tissues of the hands. Although there are surgeries that are said to help, there are considerable complications, and postoperative therapy is long, slow, and often unsuccessful. So I’m always on the lookout for non-surgical techniques to improve the movement of the fingers so the disease doesn’t progress so quickly and grip strength isn’t lost.

If you have Dupuytren’s, try this Mini Hand Treatment, which uses the large soft and small soft MELT balls (available as part of the MELT Hand and Foot Treatment Kit):

• Start with a quick Grip Assess to determine whether there is imbalance in strength between the hands.
• Next, using the large soft ball, do Finger Compression – with each finger, compress the finger pad, then the finger tip, four or five times. This mobilizes the joint down by your nail.
• Then Glide and Shear the base of the palm to stimulate the connective tissue and generate a fluid exchange.
• Follow this with the Knuckle Decompression technique with the small soft ball.
• Add the Finger Rinse, pressing the ball in one direction, from knuckle to nail, on and between each finger.
• Finish up with Friction, a light and superficial scribble that stimulates the superficial tissues of the hands.
• Then do the Grip Assess again to notice any change in your grip strength or whether your grip is more even from side to side.

Follow along with me here:

This and other Hand and Foot Treatments are on the Hand and Foot Treatments DVD, which is a great way to help you get started with adding MELT to your self-care.

I recommend that my Dupuytren’s clients do this sequence every day. This is a great treatment to try if you have arthritis too – or even if your hands tend to feel stiff and achy from overuse. To get the best results, drink at least 8 ounces of water before and after you MELT. And remember, MELT shouldn’t hurt. If you feel pain, ease back and give your connective tissue and nervous system more time to adapt to the pressure. If you’re currently under a doctor’s care, talk to your doctor before you MELT.

If you have Dupuytren’s, arthritis, or another hand issue, consider seeking out a MELT instructor. There are nearly a thousand of them around the world and they’re trained to help you use MELT as part of your self-treatment plan. To see if there’s one near you, go to https://www.meltmethod.com/finder/