Oh, I forgot to add that Dupuytren's disease (DD) isn't the only ailment that would cause hands to close up as I described. While DD can cause the hands to close inward on itself, there are images on the internet that shows fingers bent outward for those suffering from DD.
I think Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) also causes the hands to fold inward. My wife's friend is a cop in NJ who has RA. It's a nasty ailment. She's got to take all sorts of stuff to have a normal life.