[matthew]

Erm... was wondering if anyone could help with general advice. yesterday I slipt from a 2 finger roof pocket now theres a pain in my finger/arm. The pain is only there if pressure is applied to the tip, then the pain in the knuckle joint and forearm is quite intense. Any ideas what i've done? recovery time? Excercises to strengthen it again? Should it by strapped to my othr finger to reduce movement??? Help please!

[The Sausage]

sounds like a long flexor tendon strain. the best thing is to ice regularly (a few times a day if possible). use a washing up bowl of iced water (or just cold tap water at this time of year), and don't climb on it for a couple of weeks. you can do pul ups if they don't hurt. after the first 3 days or so start doing very gentle stretches... stretch in the way that would make it hurt if you applied too much pressure, but don't apply enough pressure to make it hurt. you should be able to feel it though. gradually increase the load. when you start back climbing avoid any holds that make it hurt. however, gently start loading it by pulling on holds (with your feet on the floor) that would make it hurt if you pulled too hard. it's really just an extension of the stretching you were doing before. this may make it ache a little, but it shouldn't tweak or pull. again gradually build this up until you feel able to hang haolds that previously made it hurt. this will take you up to about 6 weeks at least. after 3 months it should be full strength, so you want to gradually increase the load until then. let symptoms be your guide, but don't forget, pain isn't necessarily bad. you need to judge whether it's a kind of stretch pain (ok) or a tweak pain (not ok). and keep icing.

[GCW]

This could also be an A pulley injury (most commonly A2).  The rehab advice is much the same, however.
The main point is that it is extremely difficult to make an actual (accurate) diagnosis over the net.  You can't really go wrong with the RICE protocol (although rest and Ice are the most appropriate here).  It would be a good idea to see a professional that knows about these things, whether that be a physio or doctor (although most GPs wouldn't know what these injuries are or how to treat them- no offence to GPs that do know!)
Hope that helps a bit.  Resist the temptation to blast back into training when the pain gets better in a couple of weeks.

[matthew]

Cheers guys, much help. Went to Minor Injuries Unit (missus was nagging) and she said it was soft tissue... I asked why it hurt in my forearm and I got a curt "Because your a wus" response... unhelpful to say the least. Going to try find a physio I think.

[GCW]

It would be a good idea to see a professional that knows about these things.

See what I mean?   

[matthew]

One more thing. How long should the icing go on for after the injury? And for how long should it be applied?

[Nibile]

it hurt in my forearm

matthew,
im not a doctor, but it seems ive had more or less the same injury in my left ring finger. i heard a snal while crimping, and then i had a fucking pain all along the tendon to the elbow. it was almost impossible to stretch the finger while extended, but wasnt painful to load it if crimped. i think that the pain in the forearm makes for a more serious injury, cos more of the tendon is interested. in my case it went til the point where the tendon starts becoming more muscle tissue.
i went to the phisio and did lots of therapy, and i suggest you to go to a specialist and follow his advice. ive been out for a long time, but i recovered completely.
ice it whenever you can, i think a few 10 minutes cycles would do, for a few times a day. drink alot of water and try to avoid alcohol and inflammatory food, like red meat, refined sugars, tomatoes, chili peppers, almonds and dried fruits. they say that during inflammatory processes the Ph tends to be acid, so having basic Ph food like carrots and other stuff may hel to rebalance things out and help recovery.
hope this helps.

[Andy F]

it hurt in my forearm

im not a doctor, try to avoid alcohol and inflammatory food, like red meat, tomatoes, chili peppers and dried fruits.

Well if I ever have a finger injury that's my diet buggered as well