[Pantontino]

I've tried searching for something similar to this but not found anything that quite fits, so I thought I'd ask if anybody else has had a similar experience.

About 2 months ago I noticed that my left hand index finger had become swollen and felt weak and a bit painful. I don't recall a specific injury event, except maybe popping the top off a beer bottle with a plastic lighter (i.e. sideways leverage pressure on the finger in question), or the aftermath of a 5 day sport climbing trip to Yorkshire.

Here's the strange bit: at the start of a session I found that I could barely climb on it, (painful and weak) and had to avoid weighting it. However as the blood got flowing it gradually came alive and I found I could start to weight it without much pain. An hour or so into the session it would almost become normal, but with perhaps a 20-30% loss of strength.

I've noticed a gradual improvement over the last few weeks, but last night it felt like I was back to square one again. After about an hour and a half on the board I still couldn't pull on it. I nearly walked away, but decided to switch to a dyno move on some larger holds and it immediately felt better. I then went back to the original more fingery problem and - lo and behold - a move I couldn't touch 10 minutes earlier, I did easily with no pain. I then climbed on for the rest of the session with only a very minor amount of pain, and seemingly only a 10-20% loss of strength.

Any ideas about diagnosis or treatment?

[Pantontino]

And just for further info: this morning it is aching a bit with minor twinges of pain either side of the main knuckle.

[stevie haston]

 
Pantin it sounds like you have damaged the joint, typical with side pressure. It typically might be good or bad for a while without reason, if you dont hurt it again it should very quickly get better, within a month, the danger is that the tendons and pulleys will be out of line so if you keep using it when its hurting you will at the very least get a tendinitus or maybe a stuck tendon sheeth. I f it gets swollen around the joint stop imediatly and see a docter(normally not much help) pain or weakness is really a sign to take it easy or  really to stop. You could always use the time to train on a bar and put a sponge under the finger. Stevie

[Pantontino]

Wouldn't I be better going to a physio? I've not had much joy with doctors in the past, beyond the standard "stop climbing" advice.

Any idea why the finger seems to get markedly stronger and less painful during the climbing session?

I suppose I could use the healing time to work on a pull up/press up/dips regime? 3900 pull ups in 3 sessions -   

I guess I've got some work to do!

[Pantontino]

Just spoke to a physio. He reckoned it was ligaments, and that it could take 3 months to heal because I've climbed on it so much! What a great winter bouldering season I've got to look forward to. 

On a more positive note, these were helpful:

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,6952.0.html

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,8271.0.html

But I couldn't find a diagram of cross taping with google. If anybody knows a relevant url, then please post.

[Paul B]

Neither could I, have you not got an old Strappal packet lying around?
if not:
tape once around just below the joint, then take it diagnolly across the side of the joint, around above the joint and then back to form the other half of the cross so you end up with a cross on the side of the effected joint. You can do it on both sides if you like.

David M had some advice that cross taping wasn't as good as simply wrapping a load of tape all the way around and over the joint to imobolise it further.

[stevie haston]

Pantin, if it is ligament damage, it is a joint injury, which might or might not be serious. If it is not the ligaments but just a deformation of some of the other soft tissue , it might be less bad, whoes to know, maybe you. Climbing on damaged fingers will not help, taking time off always seems like going backwards, but if you are clever and careful you might not go backwards. I took a month of climbing because of an injury to the knuckle, (dont know what it was, could have been anything), I did not give up training, I belayed my wife for a month and carefully trained, I lost more wieght (you need to) and after a month I was about in the same place. It was very hard not to go climbing but imagine taking three months off or longer. If you dont use it, it maywell  be better more quickly, whoes to know, Dont deceive yourself, and dont go squezzing it and manipulating it every two mins. Manwell took a month off recently and trained instead, hes Ok now., he used padded bars and taped the finger for training, taking the tape off after to promote circulation. Knock off the beer its supposed to be bad for joints(good for the head ) And what Paul B said, although taping it to an adjoining finger is easy. Stevie

[superfurrymonkey]

Loads of sound advice here http://www.davemacleod.com/articles/climbinginjuries.html I'd recommend the cold water treatment from personal experience!

[Jaspersharpe]

If it is ligament damage as diagnosed then x taping worked a treat for me.

[Pantontino]

Thanks for the link Jasper. Joe's advice at the end seems especially hopeful, particularly the 10 days bit:

"Hi Jasper, sorry haven't bothered to read the whole thread, so apologies if i'm just repeating myself. with finger injuries an actual diagnosis is largely unnecessary, management is pretty much the same whatever you've done. you need to rest it until the swelling has gone down and it isn't too painful when you press into it. during this time regular icing or contrast bathing (+ anti-inflammatories) are a good idea to spped the process up. After 10 days or so you need to start loading the finger gradually and systematically, being guided by pain. i think a finger board is good as you can be very specific about the type of hold/grip and how much weight you put through it. for example, last year i had a bit of a long tendon tweak. i could do full loading half crimp hangs, but could barely put more than a few kilos through it in an open hand position. i could climb outside, but had to avoid certain holds. basically, use the finger board until you feel confident that the finger can cope with more dynamic and/or unpredictable climbing. always be ready to cut a session short if you feel you've overdone it. i wouldn't bother going to a physio, they'll only give you a progression of exercises and tell you to avoid going into pain. hope that helps and doesn't just repeat what everyone else has said. good luck. see you soon."

Presumably this controlled hanging on the finger board should be done with cross taping? And presumably you stop taping when the pain stops?

The physio told me to keep the finger taped up all the time. I started today trying to just avoid using my index finger, but I keep catching it on things so maybe he has a point. I reckon I can cope with taping up every day for a few weeks, but not too keen on doing it for months on end.

I've been thinking about why I would get this type of injury at this stage of the game. I've been climbing for 25 years and never experienced anything like it before. I had a few standard A2 pulley injuries when I first got into cellar boards in the early 90s, but apart from that, nothing. This year I started training indoors for the first time in about 10 years, and initially I did go at it hard, but this injury arrived 6 months later at a time when I was just doing routes and training stamina. Maybe I just got unlucky.

[SA Chris]

The physio told me to keep the finger taped up all the time. I started today trying to just avoid using my index finger, but I keep catching it on things so maybe he has a point. I reckon I can cope with taping up every day for a few weeks, but not too keen on doing it for months on end.

I'm (personally) always worried about advice regarding keeping it taped all the time. For it be tight enough to support it means there is a restiction in circulation? I have, however, no SCIENCE to back this up.

[Jaspersharpe]

Presumably this controlled hanging on the finger board should be done with cross taping? And presumably you stop taping when the pain stops?

Yeah I carried on taping up to and during my trip to Font to be on the safe side. I only stopped taping as I forgot to bother on the last day and despite doing Rubis and then causing myself some considerable pain (skin not ligaments) on Mur Des Lamentations, the finger felt fine. So I stopped completely after that and it's not hurt since. You don't want to get reliant on that shit.

Maybe I just got unlucky.

I would say so yes.

Re taping it all the time. I had no need as it was only very specific movement and loading that hurt so I only taped before climbing. Would have thought your situation was similar?