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.