Dupuytren's contracture is a hand disorder in which the fingers bend toward the palm and cannot be straightened. The little and ring fingers are most commonly affected but all the fingers can be involved. Dupuytren's contracture progresses slowly and is usually painless. In patients with this condition, the tissues under the skin on the palm of the hand thicken and shorten enough that the tendons connected to the fingers cannot move freely. The affected fingers start to bend more and more and cannot be straightened.

Some conservative methods have been investigated for the treatment of Dupuytren’s contracture. These include among others, physical therapy, needle fasciotomy, dimethyl sulfoxide, vitamin E, ultrasound therapy, steroid injection, and splinting. Most of these therapies have not proven to be clinically useful. For an accurately diagnosed case of Dupuytren’s contracture, the only successful treatment to date is surgery.

It is uncertain if Dupuytren's contracture is work-related. Evidence for or against Dupuytren's contracture being work-related is sparse. Only one study involving manual workers has reported that Dupuytren's contracture may be related to work activities. However, other studies have failed to show any relationship between occupation and the disease.