[T_B]

Trad shufflin is the only answer. If you only sport climb or boulder, you may as well  .

but 'shufflin isn't always an option, I mean, if you can't hold onto jugs you're f*cked, no?

I've never heard of anyone so injured that they can't do mileage outdoors. If you're talking about indoors then that's another story, what with indoor climbing being at the root of all injuries seemingly...

[Jaspersharpe]

I think Paul just needs to rest properly and stop aggravating the injury by attempting to climb (anything!) on it while it's still too bad.

The cocktails/beer approach is the way forward. 

[butters]

...but 'shufflin isn't always an option, I mean, if you can't hold onto jugs you're f*cked, no? I've been finding cocktails and beer to be an extremely good way of forgetting about injury, it does however make me think a lot about getting fat.

If you go a couple of pints\cocktails past the point of where you forget about the injury you will find that the getting fat issue seems to magically disappear as well (well at least till you sober up again). 

bluebrad

[SA Chris]

I've been finding cocktails and beer to be an extremely good way of forgetting about injury, it does however make me think a lot about getting fat.

I really fucked my back good and proper once, and actually enjoyed the chance to slob out, eat shit, drink loads, not worry about wasting a dry day, catch up on DVD watching, and getting fat for a month or so. Soon shifted the lbs with some decent CV exercise - long bike rides, lots of swimming and surfing.

[Johnny Brown]

I mean, if you can't hold onto jugs you're f*cked, no?

No. With even one broken finger I'm sure I could still do a lot of trad up to E3 or so. Go for routes which are predominantly crack or slab, and work around it. When I bust my ring finger A2 in font, the next day I taped it up and did La Mauve circuit at Dame Jouanne - turned out to be perhaps the best day I've had in the forest. The rest of the week I just bouldered, and by keeping completely open handed and choosing problems carefully got up to 7b. You never know, learning to work around it could be good for your technique.

[Paul B]

I get what you're saying but even on some really easy things in Albarracin I had to really check myself to avoid hurting it and quite often i'd just get something wrong and it would hurt a little. A foot slip, not quite going far enough into a hold etc etc. Now its got to the stage where a lot of things hurt it I think these mild aggravations are going to be more of an issue (and maybe have contributed to its current state?). So I guess I could stick to trad where I only palm down with my left hand or do everything one handed but that seems about as much fun as another discussion with you about training.

I think the only way to deal with persistent injury is to just accept that you will climb less or be doing something you enjoy less.

[Johnny Brown]

The injuries I've climbed through got better a lot quicker than the ones I rested. If you really can't enjoy just getting out and working around it then I guess the beer is the only option.

[Ru]

I've never really found an injury I couldn't climb through. I tooled a shoulder at university for a few months and spent the summer ticking the roaches slabs. I would have thought it was possible to climb stuff like San Melas with even a bad finger injury. You can always go and climb slab boulder problems one-handed/no handed. Robin Hood's Stride and Burbage South are great for this.

[Falling Down]

Maybe change your avatar 

[Houdini]

In my experience, taking extended periods off from climbing has had a strongly positive effect on my body and state of mind.  My persistent injuries are nerve damage to both sides of my neck resulting in areas of numbness in fingers, palms and forearms and pins and needles of varying severity simply according to how I hold my head.  Even lying back in a dentists' chair has (non-dental) implications for me.

W/out exception, having months off makes me more positive about climbing in general (a big plus as climbers can be such vain, fragile bores to associate w/ ) I'm much less likely to find myself getting into it, just a little too much (and  associated problems such as taking myself too seriously, SOH failures, and the desire to push biro's into the eyesockets of various jumped up pricks in the N Wales area) as well as more tangible benefits such as increased back flexibility and all-round posture improvement, and the gradual healing of long-term injuries. 

I haven't climbed in 18 months and feel fitter than ever and very strong.  I may even climb this winter.

As for progress...  That's beyond many from day one, and IMO should be shunned in favour of enjoyment, because life's too fucking short.

[SA Chris]

.......or be doing something you enjoy less.

Or do something you used to enjoy less until you are good enough at it to enjoy it more?