Former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist has revealed that he suffers from Dupuytren’s contracture, an incurable condition that affects his hands.
The 62-year-old, who remains Rangers’ all time top scorer with 355 goals in 581 appearances, is now a pundit and co-commentator for talkSPORT and TNT Sports.
McCoist says both of his parents also suffered from Dupuytren’s contracture, which is an abnormal thickening of the skin in the palm of the hand which can cause the fingers to curl towards the palm or pull sideways.
The inherited condition, which is named after the French surgeon Baron Guillaume Dupuytren, is also known as ‘Viking disease’ as it is more common in men who have northern European ancestry.
It is estimated that two million people in the UK suffer from Dupuytren’s contracture.
Those suffering from the condition can undergo straightening surgery, which involves cutting away parts of the affected tendons or removing them completely.
McCoist, who received an OBE for services to football and broadcasting at Windsor Castle in October, has revealed that he still suffers from the condition having gone through two operations and it can now take him five minutes to send a message on his phone.
‘I’ve got Dupuytren’s. It’s a hereditary thing where your fingers close in,’ McCoist told talkSPORT.
What is Dupuytren’s contracture?
Also known as ‘Viking disease’, Dupuytren’s contracture is an abnormal thickening of the skin in the palm of your hand at the base of your fingers. The thickened area may develop into a hard lump or thick band. Over time, it can cause one or more fingers to curl, or pull sideways or in toward your palm.
‘I have had them done twice. I went to see the doctor and he said to me, ‘Did your grandfather have it?’. I said, ‘I don’t know’, because I never met any of my grandfathers, sadly they passed before I was born.
‘I said to him, ‘But my dad had it’. He lifted his head up and said ‘You’re unlucky because it normally skips a generation’. I said, ‘That’s good news because I have got five boys’.
‘My wee mum had it as well. My mum had it, my dad had it, it’s a hereditary thing.
‘The bizarre thing with Dupuytren’s is when I went to see the doctor he said, ‘I will operate on it but it will come back in roughly nine years’. And I swear to God, nine years later it came back.
‘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.’