Ally McCoist issues 'unlucky' health update as TNT Sports pundit diagnosed with incurable condition

Ally McCoist issued an "unlucky" health update as he revealed he has been diagnosed with Dupuytren's. The Scottish football legend opened up on the condition, which is known as Viking's disease, on talkSPORT.

The official NHS website describes Dupuytren's contracture as when 1 or more fingers bend in towards your palm. It added: "There's no cure, but your fingers can be straightened with surgery if it's severe."

The contracture happens when the tissue under the skin near your fingers becomes thicker and less flexible. Ally, who is aged 62, explained the condition is hereditary as he said: "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'."

READ MORE: ITV I'm a Celebrity's Reverend Richard Coles heartbroken admission as husband died aged 43

READ MORE: Carol Vorderman breaks silence on I'm A Celebrity romance as Melvin Odoom's 'dream comes true'

The NHS website added: "My wee mum had it as well. My mum had it, my dad had it, it's a hereditary thing." McCoist, who scored 355 goals for Rangers during his playing career, explained your fingers can be straightened with surgery in severe cases and he has underwent the operation on two occasions.

According to Mirror Online, he said: "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.

He added: "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."

According to the NHS, Dupuytren's contracture mainly affects the ring and little fingers. The advice added: "It's common to have it in both hands at the same time.

"It tends to get slowly worse over many months or years. It's not usually painful, but it can affect how you use your hand." The condition does not usually require treatment in the early stages, but it is advised to see a GP in severe cases.

The official advice said: "See a GP if 1 or more of your fingers are bent and you cannot put your hand down flat or you're having difficulty with daily activities."

A GP may advise you to see a specialist for extra treatment. The three main types of treatment are "surgery to remove the affected tissue in the hand (fasciectomy), using a needle to make small cuts in the affected tissue (needle fasciotomy) or surgery to remove the affected tissue and skin (dermofasciectomy)."

The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but the NHS explains it's been linked to having a family history of the condition, smoking, drinking lots of alcohol or having diabetes or epilepsy. The NHS added: "It's not known if you can prevent it or stop it coming back."