The Rangers and Scotland star claimed to have had Dupuytren’s contracture, an abnormal thickening of the skin at the base of the fingers in the palm of the hand, for a number of years.
According to Ally McCoist, he has an uncurable hand ailment that makes his fingers bend in the direction of his palms.
According to the Rangers and Scotland legend, he has had Dupuytren’s contracture for a number of years. Over time, one or more fingers may curl towards the palm of your hand or pull sideways due to an abnormal thickening of the skin at the base of your fingers in the palm.
Often referred to as “Viking disease” since it is more prevalent in men with northern European ancestry, the hereditary ailment has the name of the French surgeon Baron Guillaume Dupuytren.
McCoist, 62, claimed that the illness had afflicted both of his parents. Over the years, he underwent two operations to straighten his fingers, but he said that the problem had resurfaced.
Because he frequently needs to use only one finger, the ailment can take him up to five minutes to send a text message on his phone, according to the former Ibrox player and manager.
As he stated on Talksport: “I have Dupuytren’s. The way your fingers close in is inherited.
“I’ve had two of them done. ‘Did your grandfather have it?’ the doctor asked me when I saw him. I answered, ‘I don’t know,’ since I never had the opportunity to meet any of my grandfathers, who unfortunately died before I was born.
“But my dad had it,” I told him. ‘You’re unlucky because it generally skips a generation,’ he replied, raising his head. “That’s good news because I have five boys,” I responded.
“My little mother also had it. It is inherited; both my mother and father have it.
The strange thing about Dupuytren’s is that the doctor told me, “I will operate on it, but it will come back in about nine years,” when I visited him. And it returned nine years later, I swear to God.
He continued: “I have seen myself sending a text message which takes me five minutes to text with one finger when I should just dial the number.”
Two million people in Britain are thought to suffer from Dupuytren’s disease to some extent; notable victims include Margaret Thatcher and actor Bill Nighy.
About 20% of those over 65 have it, and while the cause is unknown, it runs in families and gets worse with age.
Typically, straightening surgery is not offered until the condition is severe enough to cause the fingers to bend entirely inward. During the procedure, portions of the damaged tendons are taken away or removed entirely.
