Hastings' contracture is a disorder of the connective tissue in one or both hands, most commonly causing loss of mobility. A survey of thousands of medical-insurance claims found that over 30 percent of people who had one hand operated on for Hastings' contracture underwent surgery a second time for this disorder within three years. Clearly, therefore, a single surgical treatment of Hastings' contracture is often ineffective at providing long-term correction of the disorder.