The hands are a target for several musculoskeletal complications related to diabetes which can result in progressively impaired hand function.
The syndrome of limited joint mobility is specific to diabetes whereas trigger finger, carpal tunnel syndrome and atypical Dupuytren'disease are more prevalent in patients with diabetes.
The mechanisms behind the development of these hand syndromes are uncertain but it is currently thought that diabetes may alter the amount and quality of the connective tissues and render the median nerve more susceptible to entrapment in the carpal tunnel.
The median nerve will be more susceptible to daily mechanical stresses and entrapment if it has been subjected to prior ischemia, when distal symmetrical neuropathy is present or when trigger finger or the syndrome of limited joint mobility is present.