[nai]

Bm1k is a great board 3T. Much prefer it to my 2k...

And:

(might swap out the BM1000 for a 2000).

[shark]

I stopped climbing for a week and iced fairly regularly, it stopped hurting,

If it worked last time do this again

  I have only climbed 2-3 times each week in the week and a bit since that, and while I was resting after that happened all my middle fingers', index fingers', and slightly my ring fingers' DIP and PIP joints now hurt if prodded.

Mine pretty much hurt all the time in places if prodded. I think it is a good/neutral thing to massage fingers. Whether that gets blood flow going or breaks down scar tissue or is psychosomatic I don't know. What I do know is that prodding and worrying does have an effect even if you are aren't a certified hypochondriac like Three Nine. One of the most beneficial things for me seeing Steve Hodgson at Hallamshire Physio is getting reassurance. There is listening to your body (which can lie to you) and there is also mind games. No one can give you exact advice on how safe it is for you to climb 4x a week on your board because it depends how hard you pull and how resilient your tendons are now.  Personally I would be going back on the board after this length of time if you can trust yourself to warm up properly, go steady and build up sessions gradually, stop strong and stopping immediately if I felt pain. I would probably ice bath your hand after (if I wasn't so indolent). I would also have seen the Physio several times which sounds like you havent. 

ps Dont listen to me - get that Dave MacLeod book - it is meant to be good

[abarro81]

Any ideas on how I should train around these finger injuries?

- If you've got that many joints feeling stiff and sore I doubt that you're injured, you've just got stiff and sore finger joints, as happens to many people. Take it easy, just drag stuff for a week or two, don't do fingery things, ice after each session and normally it'll go away fine..
- If you prod any joint hard it usually hurts, especially if they're a little bit aggro from doing too much crimping/twisting/whatever.

[TobyD]

I'm actually going to sell my BM2000 as I think it's a level beyond what I need right now,

I maybe able to help with this; I'll PM you!

[duncan]

Basically, I have just been training on my board for the past 8 months or so, and crimping hard constantly. ... all my middle fingers', index fingers', and slightly my ring fingers' DIP and PIP joints now hurt if prodded.

I'd be amazed if your fingers didn't feel a bit tender after that kind of punishment! As others have said, this is a normal response to that kind of unvarying training. Ice and massage will help the immediate issue a little but, Dave Mac would rightly emphasise, you've got to address the underlying issues. In this instance, and with only your posts here to go on, it would appear that you could use more variety in your training. See these aches as a helpful sign - an amber light - to take it easy for a little bit. You could easily be reporting a more significant injury.

Do something different! You don't necessarily have to rest completely but climb slabs, climb juggy overhangs, parkour around the local playground, monkey about on the rings, crank out some pull-ups, go trad. climbing, do some aerocap, anything to give your battered finger joints a bit of variety and respite. 

[cheque]

STG - Get rid of my finger problems

In addition to everyone else's advice, I'd recommend regular forearm massage (concentrate of the most sensitive bits) & forearm/ shoulder stretching, particularly straight after you climb.

Like you I was plagued by constant/ recurring DIP/ PIP joint pain and limited pain-free finger movement for a long time and assumed I'd fucked my fingers for life. When I saw a good climbing physio he was unconcerned by the fingers themselves (as Shark says it can be very reassuring) but demonstrated how tight my whole wrists/ arms/ shoulders chain was and explained why it was leading to finger pain. Turned out the elbow pain I'd get periodically and the wrist tweaks I was prone to had the same root cause.

A year of maintainance stretching on I haven't been injured once. Most importantly I feel like I understand what's happening with my body, when I need to lay off the crimping, where I could do with stretching more etc.

[shark]

Basically, I have just been training on my board for the past 8 months or so, and crimping hard constantly. ... all my middle fingers', index fingers', and slightly my ring fingers' DIP and PIP joints now hurt if prodded.

I'd be amazed if your fingers didn't feel a bit tender after that kind of punishment! As others have said, this is a normal response to that kind of unvarying training. Ice and massage will help the immediate issue a little but, Dave Mac would rightly emphasise, you've got to address the underlying issues. In this instance, and with only your posts here to go on, it would appear that you could use more variety in your training. See these aches as a helpful sign - an amber light - to take it easy for a little bit. You could easily be reporting a more significant injury.

  Maybe but Gaskins only trained on his board and never got injured - not ever never

[nai]

Basically, I have just been training on my board for the past 8 months or so, and crimping hard constantly

Gaskins only trained on his board and never got injured - not ever never

Did Gaskins only ever crimp on his board?  I have PIP problems if I crimp too much (which folk told me I would years back) but can still manage to open-hand stuff.  Surely not crimping hard constantly would be worth trying.  Have open-hand only sessions, might mean dropping grades but it'll be worth it in the long run.

[ashtond6]

I was in J-Tree saturday as well - nice weather!
I dunno if US bouldering grades are too harsh - I think they're pretty fair on the whole - though I do think there are some traditional sandbags in the V2-5 range that should probably be bumped up, but never will be... The same could be said of font as well...

BTW, I do agree that the grades at the lower end in Kraft are quite stiff.

Nice! What did you get up to there?
Never climbed in font and I hear it is totally nails but...
I've always considered a V1 to be about as hard as the crux on an E1/2 (5.9/5.10),  whereas here,  climbers and guidebooks seem to consider V1 around 5.11a/b so E3/4

What a place though! Enjoying the sandbags actually - I did a 5.7 yesterday everyone said was solid 10b! Then I did 11b, but couldn't get off the ground on a 5.9 haha

[Pako]

Thanks heaps for the suggestions. I live in a place where there aren't any gyms around, but hopefully soon I will make more trips down to a gym, so that instead of climbing on the board 4 times a week it would be three times. I do a fair bit of rings and bar exercises, but I usually do those on rest days from climbing.  No physio anywhere here either, apart from an online one. I'll just keep on climbing once or twice a week on the board and slowly increase volume, and keep on icing after every session (which I have been doing). No more crimping for a long time either, slopers are good fun anyway. Next year should be better anyway, since I will be training at a proper gym that one can warm up at and has slabs and less steep sections.

[abarro81]

Maybe but Gaskins only trained on his board and never got injured - not ever never

Some people never get injured, they are not a good guide for the rest of us!

[Three Nine]

Thanks heaps for the suggestions. I live in a place where there aren't any gyms around, but hopefully soon I will make more trips down to a gym, so that instead of climbing on the board 4 times a week it would be three times. I do a fair bit of rings and bar exercises, but I usually do those on rest days from climbing.  No physio anywhere here either, apart from an online one. I'll just keep on climbing once or twice a week on the board and slowly increase volume, and keep on icing after every session (which I have been doing). No more crimping for a long time either, slopers are good fun anyway. Next year should be better anyway, since I will be training at a proper gym that one can warm up at and has slabs and less steep sections.

I have creaky stiff PIP joints loads, and ive just learnt its a sign of having used my fingers a bit. I dont have any real finger injuries atm (touch wood), but they all hurt if I poke them hard - that's just cos theyve got nerves and shit and not much fat to protect them.

Plus Shark, the reason Pako cant go to the physio 5 times a month or whatever is, i suspect, perhaps cos he's not a frickin millionaire fat cat rich cunt like you 

[shark]

Plus Shark, the reason Pako cant go to the physio 5 times a month or whatever is, i suspect, perhaps cos he's not a frickin millionaire fat cat rich cunt like you 

I'm offended that you think I'm fat

[lagerstarfish]

only trained on his board and never got injured - not ever never

sounds too good to be true

[shark]

only trained on his board and never got injured - not ever never

sounds too good to be true

Meow

[lagerstarfish]

it's not going well is it?

being called fat and a liar on the same day

[lagerstarfish]

 

obviously

x

[shark]

obviously

x

I know 

[rginns]

STG: any indoor V7, if I can get outside: 7B
MTG: indoor V8, outdoor 7B+
LTG: outdoor 7C

Another good week although may need to start listening to the fingers a bit more as I hammered them this week.

M - good session at BUK with r-man, 2.5hrs, ticked off another 3xV5s and a V6 so the grade pyramid is starting to fill out
T - an hour on the 40 board, standard circuit, quite tired
W - day off, fingers aching
T - good session on the board, 1hr
F - 1hr on the board, endurance circuit, 15 moves laps
S - quite tired but another good hour on the board working power projects
S - nowt - up to Scotland with work drinking whisky until Tuesday...

[andy_e]

STG: any indoor V7

Easily achieved if you climb elsewhere than BUK!

[kelvin]

Thanks all for the psyche / ideas - all good ideas.


I'm actually going to sell my BM2000 as I think it's a level beyond what I need right now, and replace with one of the thin Crusher ones which a) are more suitable for what I need and b) is probably more likely to be allowed to be put up in the kitchen.


I don't think I fall into the "crack your knuckles and get on with it" TB school of training, in fact every time I do hangs with a 90 degree bend I can feel my elbows screaming so will just have to take it easy.

I have the thin crusher one in the kitchen - find it tougher to do a routine on than the 2000. My housemate who is pretty strong, finds the same.

Don't do it.

[rginns]

STG: any indoor V7

Easily achieved if you climb elsewhere than BUK!

Aye but not as satisfying!! Tough new set too by all accounts...