[Fidders]

I have a partial tear in my middle finger tendon just above the A3 pulley. An osteopath (with no knowledge of climbing injuries) recommended stretching my finger several times a day and 'taking it easy'.

Its been 2 and half months since the injury occurred and I have been climbing with my finger heavily taped to prohibit crimping. Any climbing without the finger taped, or loosely taped causes the area to become sore/inflamed.

A few people have recommend getting a cortisone injection to help repair the tendon. Does anyone have any experience of this?

Cheers

Ian

[Rocksteady]

Find this thread very useful whenever I have a pulley injury:

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,11581.0.html

[Fidders]

Find this thread very useful whenever I have a pulley injury:

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,11581.0.html

Thanks for your response. Great thread, but I'm looking for info on tendons, not pulleys.

[Falling Down]

Maybe try a proper rest period before considering injections.. you'll have to rest post-injection anyway so you might as well try beforehand.

[tobym]

A few people have recommend getting a cortisone injection to help repair the tendon. Does anyone have any experience of this?

without seeing your finger, I would have great difficulty in diagnosing your injury, and as a lowly GP, I'd probably still have difficulty dignosing it, first-hand, am struggling with a trigger-finger myself, but as a rule, steroid injections do not heal partially torn/ruptured tendons, and, if anything, may weaken them further - there is always a risk, when giving steroid injections that nearby tendons can rupture, sorry.

It may be worth visiting your GP, in case they can refer you for ?hand physio, or something similar, hope that helps.

[SA Chris]

first-hand

Sn**ger.

Often "tendon" injuries are actually pulley injuries. There is loads of info in the diets, training and injuries section. Read up, seek expert opinion (osteo may not be best source of advice) and spend cash for it if needed. There is no quick fix for injuries, I personally would avoid cortisone like the plague.

[Fidders]

Maybe try a proper rest period before considering injections.. you'll have to rest post-injection anyway so you might as well try beforehand.

I have had 2 spells of complete rest, the first was 2weeks and more recently 1 week. What do you consider a 'proper' rest period? The rest period after the injection is one week.

[Falling Down]

Hi Ian,

Is this your first finger injury?

It depends how bad the injury is... can't be more specific than that. 

When I ruptured mine last October I had two weeks complete rest then didn't boulder at all indoors for a couple of months just did routes and juggy circuits on the wall if I didn't have a rope on.  Stayed off the fingerboard and campus for four months and then eased back in gently.

Outside I taped and stayed away from anything crimpy but managed to boulder to my previous standard on the grit.

[GCW]

I would be very reluctant to inject steroids near an injured tendon, especially with 12 months of the event.

How was this partial rupture diagnosed?

[Fidders]

Hi Ian,

Is this your first finger injury?

It depends how bad the injury is... can't be more specific than that. 

Yes this is my first finger injury. Previously I've had tweaks in other fingers, but nothing which has required me to lay off climbing or lasted longer than a few weeks.

How bad is it - Without taping any moderate crimping/easy bouldering will aggravate it. With it almost completely taped I've managed to climb f7c + font 7b resulting in only a small amount of aggravation.

[Fidders]

I would be very reluctant to inject steroids near an injured tendon, especially with 12 months of the event.

How was this partial rupture diagnosed?

The partial rupture was diagnosed (I think) because I have a full range a movement pain free, and only pain/soreness when under heavy crimping.

[GCW]

Doesn't really sound like a tendon then, more likely ligament or pulley.
As ever, I'd suggest seeing someone that specialises in the flexor unit.

[mrjonathanr]

I have had 2 inadequately brief attempts at spells of complete rest, the first was 2weeks and more recently 1 week. What do you consider a 'proper' rest period?  ( a month )The rest period after the injection is one week. three weeks surely?

My (experiential but non-) medical ha'penny worth:
Cortisone is a wonderful anti-inflammatory but so weakens the tissue that repeat administration is not usually advised. For the right affliction  (ie tendonous) it can be great, but requires a very careful rebuilding programme after suitable rest to return to strength.
Put another way, if it's persistently highly inflamed tendon tears you got, this could offer the chance to side-step the inflammation and fix the problem with very careful rehab. It doesn't fix pulleys or impatience. Get good advice: it's not a treatment of first resort: these are rest/ice/massage/Voltarol. You should exhaust them first.

[duncan]

What GCW said.  It doesn't sound like a tendon if you can pull hard open-handing but crimping hurts.  I'm very likely wrong though.  Consult a hand specialist and don't believe random posts on the 'net (although many of the above seem pretty well-informed, no-one who knows what they are on about is going to give you a diagnosis and treatment plan without seeing you).

[Fultonius]

I have a partial tear in my middle finger tendon just above the A3 pulley. An osteopath (with no knowledge of climbing injuries) recommended stretching my finger several times a day and 'taking it easy'.

Was it the "osteopath (with no knowledge of climbing injuries)" that diagnosed the injury?

It sounds nothing like a tendon strain to me. I've had: tendon strains, pulley strains and strains of the muscle-tendon insertion.


Pain/soreness when crimping doesn't sound anything like a tendon strain. Tendon strains often hurt more when open-handed, especially in pockets.

Where does it hurt? Does it hurt to touch? (tender, sore?)

If it hurts when crimping, THEN STOP FUCKING CRIMPING